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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


■feMttftCXiaECTJON 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/jedboysadventureOOgoss 


Smash  'em,  smash  'em,  boys  !  "  —  Page  401. 


JED 


A  BOY'S  ADYENTUEES  IIT  THE 
AEMY  OF  '61-^65 


A  STOBY  OF  BATTLE  AND  PBISON,  OF  PEBIL 
AND  ESCAPE 


WARREN  LEE  GOSS 

Author  of  "The  Soldier's  Story  of  His  Captivity  at  Ander- 
son ville  and  Other  Prisons,"  "The  Recollections  of 
A  Private,"  in  the  Century  War  Series,  etc. 


NEW   YORK 
THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  &  CO. 

13  AsTOR  Place 


Copyright,  1889,  by 
Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Co. 


C.  J.  PETERS  &  SON, 

Typographers  and  Electrotypers, 

145  High  Street,  Boston. 


TO  THE 

Sons  and  Daughters  of  My  Comrades 

OF  THE 

"  GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC." 


602930 


PREFACE, 


TN  this  story  the  author  has  aimed  to  furnish 
true  pictures  of  scenes  in  the  great  civil  war, 
and  not  to  produce  sensational  effects.  The  inci- 
dents of  the  book  are  real  ones,  di'awn  in  part  from 
the  writer's  personal  experiences  and  observations, 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  during  that  war.  He  is 
also  indebted  to  many  comrades  for  reminiscences 
of  battle  and  prison  life.  The  perilous  escape  of 
Jed  and  Dick,  from  Andersonville  down  the  Flint 
and  Appalachicola  Rivers,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is 
in  substance  the  narrative  of  a  comrade  whom  the 
writer  knew  at  Andersonville,  and  afterwards  met 
when  the  war  had  closed.  The  descriptions  of  the 
prison  are  especially  truthful,  for  in  them  the  au- 
thor briefly  tells  what  he  himself  saw. 

There  is  not  a  description  of  battle  or  camp  scene 
in  the  book  that  is  not  as  faithful  to  the  reality  as 
the  author  can  make  it,  and  he  believes  that  these 
sketches  will  be  recognized  as  true,  by  the  veterans 

1 


2  PREFACE. 

of  the  war  who  may  chance  to  read  them  to  their 
boys  and  girls. 

If  it  be  objected  that  boys  of  the  age  of  Jed 
and  Dick  were  too  young  for  soldiers,  the  writer 
will  say,  that  few  realize  how  young  were  the  men 
who  fought  the  battles  of  the  Republic.  In  many 
i-egiments  the  average  age  of  those  in  the  ranks 
was  less  than  twenty-one  years,  and  it  was  not  un- 
usual to  see  boys  of  fifteen  and  sixteen  carrying 
muskets,  enduring  the  hardships,  and  bearing  the 
scars  of  battle. 

The  writer  has  attempted  to  portray  a  soldier's 
life  as  boy  soldiers  saw  it;  and  if  he  has  failed 
therein,  lie  has  failed  in  his  purpose  of  conveying 
to  the  youth  of  to-day  a  reflection  of  that  patriotic 
and  self-sacrificing  spirit  which  restored  to  us  the 
blessings  of  peace,  "  one  country  and  one  flag." 

W.  L.  G. 
Norwich,  Conn.,  May,  1889. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    Jumping  from  the  Frying-Pan  into  the 

Fire 5 

II.    A  Change  of  Scene 18 

III.    In  the  Guard-House 26 

lY.    Charleston  on  the  Eve  of  the  Rebel- 
lion      33 

V.    The  Curtain  of  War  Rises 42 

VI.    Home  Once  More 57 

VII.    Making  Ready 63 

VIII.    Volunteers  in  Washington 75 

IX.     On  the  Peninsula 83 

X.     Before  Yorktown 95 

XL    Pursuit  and  Battle 106 

XII.    Marching  on 117 

XIII.  In  the  Saddle 125 

XIV.  Retreat  to  the  James  River      ....  138 
XV.    A  Prisoner 150 

XVI.     Jed's  Story      . 162 

XVII.    A    Convalescent's    Glimpse   of    Belle 

Isle  in  1862 175 

XVIII.    In  the  Parole  Camp 190 

XIX.     On  Furlough  at  Home 206 

XX.     In  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville     .  222 

XXL    Marching  on  to  Battle 239 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII.  On  the  Battle-field  of  Gettysburg      .  248 

XXIII.  After  Battle 262 

XXIV.  Grant  takes  Command 272 

XXV.     Andersonville  Prison 287 

XXVI.     Life  and  Death  in  Prison 298 

XXVII.     In  the  Jaws  of  Death 314 

XXVIII.    Tunnelling  Out 329 

XXIX.     To  THE  KiVER 338 

XXX.    Down  the  River 347 

XXXI.     A  Nest  in  the  Cypress 362 

XXXII.     On  the  Appalachicola  Bay 376 

XXXIII.  Under  the  old  Flag  Again 391 

XXXIV.  The  Last  Days  of  the  War 397 


JED 


A    BOY^S    ADVENTURES    IN    THE    ARMY 
OF  '61  AND  '65. 


CHAPTER  I. 

JUMPING  FROM  THE  FRYING-PAN  INTO  THE  FIRE. 

BEFORE  the  war  began  I  had  enlisted.  In 
the  year  1855  I  was  a  boy  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  even  more  wilful,  intractable,  and  head- 
strong than  boys  of  that  age  usually  are.  My 
mother  having  died  before  I  was  old  enough  to 
comprehend  the  full  meaning  of  her  loss,  I  lived 
alone  with  my  father,  a  hard-working  mechanic, 
who  had  always  provided  a  good  home  for  his 
family  until  the  hard  times  following  a  financial 
panic  had  thrown  him  out  of  work.  This,  together 
with  the  death  of  my  mother,  had  caused  him  to 
wander  away  in  search  of  work  or  adventure, 
leaving  me  to  the  care  of  a  maiden  aunt  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  who  lived  in  the  small 
village  of  Centerboro,  thirty  miles  from  Boston. 

She  was  known  to  the  villagers  as  "  Miss  Tempy," 
an  abbreviation  of  the  name  of  Temperance.  She 
was  a  kind-hearted  woman,  and  devoted  to  the 

5 


6  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

interests  of  my  father,  who  was  her  only  brother. 
Like  many  childless  people,  she  had  a  weakness  in 
imagining  she  knew  all  about  the  management  of 
children.  Whether  this  conceit  was  founded  on 
fact  or  fancy  is  immaterial  to  this  narrative,  it  being 
sufficient  to  say  that  her  notions  of  a  boy's  capa- 
city for  obedience  did  not  exactly  coincide  with 
mine.  She  was  not  largely  endowed  with  this 
world's  goods,  but  was  in  the  main  generous  and 
motherly ;  and,  when  not  possessed  by  an  excruci- 
ating and  peculiar  sense  of  duty  towards  me,  her 
evident  fondness  for  me  made  me  love  her  as  much 
as  I  was  capable  of  loving  anything  except  play 
and  mischief. 

Upon  the  subject  of  obedience,  which  included 
keeping  myself  and  my  clothing  clean  and  whole, 
her  views  and  my  own  widely  diverged.  The 
blaze  of  an  irrepressible  conflict,  if  smothered  at 
times  in  my  own  breast  from  motives  of  prudence, 
flamed  out  constantly  towards  me,  and  created  a 
corresponding  resistance  on  my  part.  But  I  have 
long  seen  my  own  errors  and  faults,  and  in  maturer 
years  have  repented  with  many  bitter  regrets  of  my 
course  of  life  at  that  period.  I  cannot  but  believe 
that  the  mistake  of  those  who  have  charge  of  boys 
often  consists  in  attempting  to  govern  them  too 
much,  rather  than  too  little.  To  be  met  at  every 
turn  by  some  inflexible  rule  is  too  much  for  the 
best  of  boys,  and  often  results  in  the  reverse  of  good 
to  them.     The  attempts  to  govern  on  the  part  of 


FROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  7 

my  aunt  were  fitful  and  violent,  and  were  a  con- 
stant source  of  irritation  to  me. 

My  aunt  had  at  first  received  letters  and  money 
from  my  father  after  his  arrival  in  a  far-off  West- 
ern settlement,  where  he  had  taken  up  government 
land ;  and  then,  for  some  reason  I  never  understood, 
all  communications  and  remittances  ceased.  From 
this  time  he  dropped  out  of  my  life,  until,  long 
years  afterwards,  the  threads  of  his  life  were  again 
interwoven  with  mine  by  the  shuttle-like  events  of 
the  great  civil  war. 

I  was  then  at  the  age  when  a  boy  begins  to  think 
himself  capable  of  self-government,  and  therefore 
is  often  in  rebellion  against  all  control.  My  aunt, 
as  I  have  already  hinted,  had  spasms  of  strict  gov- 
ernment, sandwiched  with  occasional  humoring  and 
petting ;  and  I,  on  my  part,  had  seasons  of  genuine 
repentance,  as  well  as  of  rebellion. 

A  boy,  if  not  brought  up  under  restraining  fam- 
ily influences,  especially  at  the  age  mentioned,  is  at 
best  but  an  untamed  animal,  whose  repulsion  to 
soap  and  water  and  discipline  is  in  constant  con- 
flict with  rules  made  for  his  restriction.  If  a  boy 
at  that  age  cannot  be  governed  by  love  and  reason, 
he  might  better  not  be  governed  at  all ;  though  it 
must  be  confessed  it  is  sometimes  hard  to  deter- 
mine where  a  boy's  love  or  reason  has  an  existence. 

My  aunt's  nervous  irritability  increased,  while 
my  love  for  mischief  and  adventure  set  at  defiance 
her  authority.    To  make  me  attend  church  or  school 


8  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

regularly,  when  she  was  too  ill  to  accompany  me, 
was  finally  beyond  her  power.  I  had  passed  my 
thirteenth  birthday  when,  one  summer  day,  I  not 
only  failed  to  go  to  school,  but  got  into  the  quag- 
mire of  a  swamp  I  was  exploring.  A  new  suit  of 
clothes  was  wet  and  covered  with  mud  by  being 
submerged  with  me,  and  my  aunt's  temper  and 
endurance  failed  her  when  I  brought  home  with  me 
the  same  afternoon  a  ragamuffin  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, known  as  Jed,  whom  I  loved  and  admired  just 
in  proportion  as  his  life  and  clothing  and  conduct 
were  at  variance  with  my  aunt's  ideas  of  propriety. 
Hence  it  was  that  my  Aunt  Tempy's  patience 
gave  out,  and  my  endurance  reached  a  climax,  that 
afternoon,  when,  in  a  rage,  she  shut  Jed  and  myself 
and  his  dog,  which  had  accompanied  us,  into  a  back 
room  without  supper,  and  then  brought  out  a  long- 
threatened  stick  from  its  hiding-place,  and  ener- 
getically scored  her  displeasure  upon  both  Jed  and 
myself.  It  was  the  worst  wliipping  she  had  ever 
given  me,  but  it  would  have  been  still  worse  had 
her  strength  equalled  her  rage.  It  may  be  amus- 
ing to  remember  now  the  dance  she  gave  myself 
and  poor  Jed  and  his  terrified  dog,  but  there  was 
anything  but  fun  in  it  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence. It  was  exasperating.  I  could  have  for- 
given the  injury  inflicted  on  myself,  but  to  bring 
honest,  loving  Jed  to  an  entertainment  so  dispro- 
portioned  to  what  I  considered  his  deserts,  was  more 
than  I  could  endure. 


PROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  § 

Jed,  with  a  few  finishing  touches  from  my  aunt's 
tongue  and  stick,  was  dismissed  by  the  back  door, 
while  I  was  put  to  bed  and  locked  into  my  room. 

The  next  morning  neither  my  aunt  nor  myself 
was  in  a  repentant  mood.  The  sight  of  Jed's  face, 
swollen  with  undeserved  marks  of  my  aunt's  dis- 
pleasure, exasperated  me  with  even  a  greater  sense 
of  injustice  than  the  condition  of  my  own  cuticle. 
Jed,  however,  was  as  calm  as  a  philosopher.  He 
was  polishing  a  pair  of  boots  attached  to  the  feet 
of  our  village  lawyer.  When,  after  his  task  was 
finished,  he  remarked,  "  Jingo  !  didn't  the  old  lady 
make  us  dance,  though?"  I  told  Jed  that  I  had 
determined  to  run  away  from  home,  cut  the  whole 
connection,  and  declare  myself  a  free  and  indepen- 
dent person.  It  is  due  to  Jed  to  say  that  he  en- 
deavored to  dissuade  me  from  such  a  course,  but 
he  finally  concluded  to  accompany  me  to  Boston, 
where  I  purposed  to  seek  my  fortune. 

The  same  afternoon  I  smuggled  a  satchel  filled 
with  a  change  of  clothing  to  a  railway  station 
about  three  miles  from  the  village,  and  got  it 
checked  for  Boston,  preliminary  to  my  own  depar- 
ture. I  had  in  my  pocket  a  jack-knife  and  one  dollar 
and  forty-two  cents,  while  Jed  was  the  possessor  of 
seventy-five  cents.  The  next  morning,  accompa- 
nied by  Jed,  I  began  my  journey  to  Boston  by  line 
of  railway;  not  by  steam,  but  afoot.  For  the  first 
ten  miles  I  am  afraid  I  did  not  have  as  keen  a 
sense  of  my  own  discomfort  as  I  did  of  satisfaction 


10  JEi)'S  ADVENTURES. 

at  the  retributive  pain  I  was  inflicting  on  my  aunt 
by  thus  absconding  without  notice  from  her  pro- 
tection. 

Anything  that  breaks  up  the  ordinary  routine 
of  a  boy's  life  is  usually  welcome,  so  natural  is  his 
thirst  for  adventure,  and  his  desire  to  penetrate 
the,  to  him,  little  known  paths  of  real  life. 

During  the  day  we  had  bought  some  food  in  a 
shoe-manufacturing  town  on  our  route ;  and,  as  we 
could  not  afford  to  pay  for  a  night's  lodging  at  a 
hotel,  we  slept  in  a  haystack  in  a  neighboring  vil- 
lage, half-way  between  the  point  of  our  departure 
and  our  destination.  The  next  morning  I  was 
foot-sore  and  lame,  and  but  for  Jed's  good  nature, 
and  a  certain  stubborn  pride  of  my  own,  I  believe 
I  should  have  turned  back  and  sought  the  for- 
giveness of  my  aunt. 

Nightfall  again  came  and  found  us  about  eight 
miles  from  Boston,  and  nowhere  to  sleep.  At  last 
we  came  to  a  decked  boat  lying  on  the  shore  of  a 
creek,  and  with  the  dog  we  crept,  shivering  with 
cold,  repentantly  to  rest  in  the  ridged  interior  of 
the  boat. 

About  midnight  we  were  awakened  by  a  man  of 
unsavory  garments  crawling  into  the  boat.  Upon 
encountering  us  he  revealed  his  true  character  by 
exclaiming,  "Hallo.     Are  you  on  the  tramp?" 

In  a  few  minutes  the  tramp  was  snoring,  as  Jed 
expressed  it,  "like  a  house  a-fire,"  and  we  crept 
from  the  boat  to  get  clear  from  so  unwelcome  a 


FROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  11 

guest.  "We  were  fairly  discouraged  as  we  renewed 
our  line  of  march,  and  so  cold  that  we  shivered  as  if 
with  the  ague.  Even  Mink,  the  dog,  whined  and 
crept  behind  us  with  his  tail  dejectedly  depressed. 
We  cautiously  crossed  a  long  railroad  bridge  in 
the  suburbs  of  Boston,  and  seeing  a  crate  half  filled 
with  straw,  crept  into  it  and  slept  the  sleep  of 
tired  boys. 

We  were  awakened  by  some  one  roughly  jolting 
the  crate  and  exclaiming,  "I'll  be  blamed  if  here 
isn't  a  whole  nest  of  boys  !  "  And,  as  I  awoke,  the 
good-natured  laughing  face  of  a  boy  some  years 
older  than  ourselves  greeted  us. 

There  is  a  sort  of  Freemasonry  among  youngsters, 
and  we  soon  made  him  understand  that  we  were 
seeking  our  fortunes. 

Not  to  enter  at  length  into  this  stage  of  our  ad- 
ventures, he  took  us  into  the  kitchen  of  his  father's 
house  and  fed  us  royally,  and  listened  with  open- 
eyed  wonder  while  we  told  him  our  adventures. 
He  pronounced  them  "jolly,"  and  if  we  were  not 
of  his  mind,  we  were  at  least  willing  that  so  gen- 
erous an  entertainer  should  hold  to  his  opinion. 

The  reader  can  imagine  the  forlorn  condition  of 
two  inexperienced  country  boys,  without  money  in 
a  city  like  Boston,  thirty  years  ago. 

For  days  the  condition  of  Jed,  myself,  and  the 
dog,  was  one  of  chronic  hunger.  We  were  fortu- 
nate if  we  made  money  enough  by  polishing  boots 
(for  Jed  had  brought  with  him  his  boot-blacking 


12  Ji:D'S  ADVENTURE^. 

equipments)  to  give  us  two  very  economical  meals 
a  day. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  depict  tliis  kind  of  life. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  we  were  so  hungry  as 
to  regard  with  favor  any  kind  of  employment 
which  gave  us  enough  to  eat.  I  believe  I  should 
have  returned  to  my  aunt  and  have  submitted  to 
what  I  considered  her  iron  rule  forever,  but  for 
Jed's  unfailing  good  humor  and  courage. 

As  it  was  I  wrote  her  a  letter,  but  before  I  could 
get  the  money  for  a  stamp  to  mail  it,  incidents 
occurred  which  interrupted  the  whole  course  of 
my  vagabond  life. 

I  had  taken  a  great  dislike  to  the  art  of  boot- 
blacking.  Perhaps  its  dirt  brought  out  the  latent 
results  of  my  aunt's  instructions  in  cleanliness,  and 
gave  me  a  curious  repulsion  to  the  business  which 
I  had  previously  considered  quite  charming. 

We  had  tried  to  ship  on  board  of  several  vessels 
as  cabin  boys,  but  the  captains  usually  said  two 
cabin  boys  were  too  many,  or  asked  us  inquisitive 
questions  about  our  mothers. 

Such  was  our  condition  when,  two  weeks  after 
our  arrival  in  Boston,  while  engaged  in  blacking 
boots,  a  sergeant  of  the  United  States  regular 
artillery  stopped  in  response  to  my  "Black  yer 
boots,  sir?" 

While  giving  him  a  shine,  with  sidelong  glances, 
I  admired  his  resplendent  uniform  of  blue  with 
its  red  stripes,  bright  buttons  and  brasses. 


^ 


Do  you  know  any  boys  who  wish  to  enlist  as  drummers  ? 
—  Page  13. 


FROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  13 

"Boys,"  said  the  sergeant,  while  paying  for  the 
sliine,  "  do  you  know  any  boys  who  wish  to  enlist 
as  di'ummers  ?  " 

Without  entering  into  details  of  the  conver- 
sation, we  soon  gave  him  to  understand  that  the 
joy  of  our  hearts  would  be  consummated  if  we 
could  be  one  of  those  glittering  personages. 

How  it  was  managed,  I  do  not  know  ;  or  who 
stood  our  god-fathers  in  pla*ce  of  our  own  parents ; 
but  the  next  day  at  noon  we  were  enlisted  into  the 
service  of  the  regular  army,  with  the  supposed 
consent  of  our  parents. 

The  afternoon  after  our  enlistment  we  were 
sent  to  a  fort  in  Boston  Harbor,  then  garrisoned 
by  a  company  of  the  —  th  United  States  Artillery. 
Upon  our  arrival  with  other  recruits  we  were  re- 
ceived at  the  landing  by  a  soldier  in  uniform, 
whom  I  believed  to  be  no  less  than  a  general,  but 
who  proved  to  be  a  corporal  of  the  guard. 

His  first  salutation  to  us  was  a  sharp  "  Fall  in !  " 
Military  language  was  so  foreign  to  our  ears  that 
neither  Jed  nor  I  understood.  We  innocently 
looked  around  us  to  see,  as  Jed  afterwards  quaintly 
remarked,  "  who  was  going  to  fall  into  what." 

*'  Fall  in !  "  again  came  the  somewhat  explosive 
command. 

We  still  stood  dazed  and  stupid,  whereupon  the 
corporal  seized  me  by  the  shoulder  and  exclaiming 
roughly,  "  Why  don't  you  fall  in?  "  soon  made  me 
understand  without  a  dictionary  the  meaning  of  the 


14  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

command.  Upon  entering  the  fort  we  were  assigned 
quarters  with  a  squad  in  charge  of  a  corporal  named 
O'Keif.  Blankets  were  issued  to  us,  and  a  bunk 
pointed  out  for  us  to  sleep  in. 

We  were  busy  getting  acquainted  with  our  new 
quarters,  when  we  heard  a  great  thumping  of 
drums,  and  again  the  order  came  to  "  Fall  in ! " 
We  understood  the  order  this  time. 

With  other  recruits  and  soldiers  we  were  marched 
to  a  large  hall  or  room  in  the  barracks.  Here  we 
were  soon  seated  at  a  pine  table  (extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  room)  on  which  there  was  a 
long  array  of  bright  tin  plates,  knives  and  forks,  and 
drinking-cups.  Each  plate  contained  a  piece  of 
salt  junk,  two  or  three  boiled  potatoes,  and  a  slice 
of  wheat  bread.  The  cups  each  contained  nearly  a 
quart  of  coffee,  sweetened  but  without  milk,  while 
the  bread  did  not  have  its  familiar  accompaniment 
of  butter ;  neither  of  these  luxuries  being  issued 
to  the  army. 

The  next  day  Jed  and  myself  received  our 
clothing,  and  were  nicely  fitted  by  the  garrison 
tailor  to  drummers'  suits,  with  their  usual  allotment 
of  buttons  and  stripes. 

After  donning  our  new  suits  we  were  for  a  few 
hours  very  proud  of  them,  but  soon  discovered  that 
their  possession  entailed  duties  with  which  we 
were  unfamiliar.  As  we  were  laughing,  whistling, 
and  sauntering  across  the  parade  ground,  with 
Mink  following  at  our  heels,  we  encountered  an 


FROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  15 

officer  whom  we  carelessly  passed.  He  looked  at 
us  with  that  cast-iron-like  expression  common  to 
regular  army  officers,  and  said  sharply,  — 

"Do  you  belong  to  tliis  post?  " 

We  replied  that  we  had  just  arrived. 

"Has  no  one  taught  you  your  duties  yet?  " 

Whatever  our  reply  was,  he  soon  understood 
we  were  raw  recruits. 

"Whose  dog  is  that?" 

"  That's  my  dog,"  Jed  replied. 

"  There  are  no  dogs  in  the  army ;  they  are  not 
allowed  in  the  quarters,"  said  the  officer  sharply. 

Poor  Jed's  lip  quivered  (for  he  dearly  loved  his 
dog)  as  he  replied,  "I  tell  you,  mister,  he's  an 
awful  nice  dog ;  just  see  here,"  and  Jed  proceeded 
to  put  Mink  through  a  series  of  cunning  tricks 
which  he  had  taught  him.  The  officer's  face  re- 
laxed into  something  like  a  smile,  as  he  patted  the 
dog,  and  calling  to  a  passing  orderly,  in  a  grave 
undertotie  said,  "  Take  these  boys  to  the  barracks, 
and  send  Corporal  O'Keif  to  headquarters." 

O' Keif's  face  fell  upon  receiving  this  order,  and 
he  growled  out,  "  It's  something  about  these  kids, 
or  an  order  to  kill  that  confounded  pup." 

O'Keif  soon  returned  smiling,  while  poor  Jed, 
with  quivering  lip,  pleaded,  — 

"  Let  me  keep  Mink ;  I'll  do  anything  if  you 
will  let  me  keep  my  dog." 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  the  corporal  pleasantly. 
"Captain   Doughty  says   'Never  mind  the  dog.' 


16  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

You  must  learn  your  duties,  though;  you  must 
salute  your  superior  officers  properly,  and  keep 
your  face  and  hands  clean.  Now  go  and  black 
your  shoes ;  '  shine  up '  them  brasses  and  but- 
tons." 

Some  of  the  enlisted  men  instructed  us  in  bright- 
ening our  buttons,  and  in  the  salute  to  officers,  by 
what  Jed  called  the  "windmill  business"  of  "one 
time  and  three  motions."  It  Avas  some  time  before 
we  learned  to  recognize  the  difference  between  the 
commissioned  and  the  non-commissioned  officers. 
But  as  salutes  to  privates,  corporals,  and  drum- 
majors  did  not  offend  them,  this  did  not  give  us 
much  trouble. 

The  Sunday  morning  after  our  arrival  we  were 
informed  that  there  would  be  an  inspection,  and, 
under  the  instruction  of  the  corporal,  we  were  re- 
quired not  only  to  scrub  our  faces  and  hands,  and 
to  comb  our  hair,  but  to  have  every  article  on  our 
persons  and  in  our  knapsacks,  in  an  exquisite 
condition  of  neatness.  The  most  minute  care  as  to 
cleanliness  was  observed  in  everything.  Muskets 
were  cleansed  and  brightened  inside  and  out,  with 
a  thoroughness  almost  incomprehensible  to  Jed 
and  myself ;  while  the  barracks  were  scrubbed  and 
washed,  and  actually  shone  with  cleanliness. 

The  sun  shone  on  the  burnished  arms  of  the 
men  drawn  up  in  bright  array.  The  command 
was  given  "  Order  arms ;  "  and  as  the  inspecting 
officer  passed  down  the  line,  each  man  threw  up 


FROM  FRYING-PAN  INTO  FIRE.  17 

his  musket  for  inspection.  From  the  musket  of 
one  man  a  slight  smut  adhered  to  the  officer's 
white  glove.  The  man  was  sharply  reprimanded, 
and,  although  he  had  just  come  from  guard  duty, 
he  made  no  explanation. 

"  Why,"  asked  I  of  the  man  afterwards,  "  didn't 
you  tell  him  ?  " 

"  No  back  talk  to  officers  is  allowed  in  the  army," 
was  his  response. 

The  guns  on  the  fort,  and  everything  else,  were 
critically  examined.  Men  who  appeared  to  us  spot- 
lessly clean  were  sternly  reprimanded  for  some  little 
omission ;  and  I  came  in  for  a  share  of  censure  for 
not  having  the  heels  of  my  shoes  properly  blacked. 
The  contents  of  each  knapsack  were  closely  exam- 
ined, and  while  the  men  stood  in  line  the  quarters 
were  examined  with  the  same  minute  thoroughness. 

After  inspection  was  over,  and  we  were  marched 
to  our  quarters,  Jed,  with  eyes  protruding  from  his 
head,  asked  one  of  the  privates,  — 

"  Who  washes  yer  clothes  here  ?  " 

"  Every  man  does  his  own  washing  in  the  army," 
was  the  crisp  reply.  Whereupon  Jed  looked  at 
me,  and  gave  his  opinion  of  the  whole  proceed- 
ings in  a  low  whistle,  which  the  reader  can  inter- 
pret for  himself. 

If  I  had  run  away  from  home  and  gone  into  the 
army  to  avoid  soap  and  water,  rules  and  restraints, 
I  had,  as  Jed  said,  "  Jumped  from  the  frying-pan 
into  the  fire." 


CHAPTER  11. 

A  CHANGE  OF   SCENE. 

A  FEW  months  after  the  events  narrated  in  the 
•^-^  foregoing  chapter,  an  order  came  for  our 
company  to  be  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice. 
The  polishing  of  buttons,  cleaning  of  equipments, 
rolling  up  of  blankets  and  overcoats,  and  packing 
of  haversacks  and  knapsacks,  occupied  the  most  of 
the  morning  hours. 

My  own  knapsack  was  entirely,  disproportioned 
to  my  size.  When  it  was  strapped  upon  my  back, 
with  my  other  equipments  of  drum,  haversack,  etc., 
I  could  hardly  identify  myself  amid  the  multitude 
of  straps.  Jed  declared  that  he  felt  like  a  corn- 
stalk pith  with  lead  in  the  end,  liable  to  be  sud- 
denly reversed  and  stood  on  his  head  by  the  weight 
of  his  knapsack. 

In  the  afternoon  we  were  marched  tlu-ough  the 
lower  streets  of  Boston  to  the  depot,  and  after  two 
hours'  ride  were  embarked  on  a  steamer  for  New 
York.  It  was  at  this  time  that  I  discovered,  as  one 
of  the  peculiarities  of  army  life,  that  the  command- 
ing officer  does  not  consider  it  worth  while,  either 
on  the  march  or  from  day  to  day,  to  communicate 
his  intentions  either  to  non-commissioned  officers, 
privates,  or  even  to  drummers. 

18 


A   CHANGE  OF  SCENE,  19 

We  had  no  more  conception  of  where  we  were 
going  than  the  spectators  who  idly  thronged  the 
streets.  The  next  morning  we  arrived  in  New 
York,  and  viewed  with  boyish  curiosity  its  crowded, 
busy  streets,  and  listened  to  its  Babel-like  confusion 
of  street-calls.  The  haste  of  its  life  so  impressed 
Jed  that  he  said,  '^  I  haven't  seen  a  feller  in  this 
town  who  acts  as  if  he  had  time  to  breathe  or  have 
his  boots  shined."  After  being  quartered  for  a  day 
or  so  at  Governor's  Island,  we  were  embarked  on 
another  steamer,  en  route  we  knew  not  where. 

The  weather  was  pleasant,  and  the  air  grew  more 
and  more  mild  as  the  steamer,  with  its  freight  of 
passengers,  throbbed  its  way  along  the  coast,  and 
finally  landed  our  party  of  recruits  amid  the  sands 
of  old  Point  Comfort,  at  Fort  Monroe.  This  fort- 
ress, with  its  great  guns  and  gray  granite  walls, 
impressed  us  with  wonder.  For  a  few  days  all  our 
spare  time,  when  not  under  the  rigorous  drill  to 
which  we  were  presently  subjected,  was  spent  in 
investigating  our  surroundings. 

When  we  left  Boston  snow  was  on  the  ground, 
and  the  weather  was  cold ;  while  here  the  grass  was 
green  beneath  our  feet,  and  the  buds  were  unrolling 
into  leaves  for  the  dress-parade  of  spring.  The 
widespreading  bay  of  the  Chesapeake,  with  Nor- 
folk dimly  seen  in  the  distance,  and  all  our  sur- 
roundings, had  that  charm  of  novelty  so  enchanting 
to  boys. 

One  of  the  prominent  characters  of  the  fort  at 


4- 
20  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

this  time  was  Sergeant  Gruff.  He  was  a  short, 
red-faced  son  of  Germany,  who  had  grown  gray  in 
the  service.  Years  before,  it  was  said,  he  had  en- 
listed as  a  musician,  and  had  been  in  the  Mexican 
war.  His  complexion  and  face  were  as  rough  as 
his  manners,  voice,  and  temper.  In  the  estimation 
of  the  garrison,  as  well  as  in  the  circumference 
described  by  his  belt,  he  was  a  great  man. 

So  thoroughly  was  he  imbued  with  military 
methods,  that  Jed  declared  that  he  ate  in  one  time 
and  three  motions  (as  if  practising  a  sort  of  manual 
of  arms),  and  saluted  himself  with  his  knife  and 
fork  after  eating.  He  was  a  martinet,  and  insisted 
upon  the  letter,  as  weU  as  the  spirit,  of  all  military 
performances.  In  justice  to  this  old  veteran,  it 
must  be  said  that  he  commanded  the  respect  of  the 
officers  of  the  garrison,  and  was  a  man  of  education 
and  an  excellent  soldier. 

Jed  had  made  a  belt  and  equipments  for  Mink, 
and  taught  him  to  hold  a  miniature  musket  while 
"  sitting  up."  A  week  or  so  after  our  arrival  Jed 
was  exercising  his  dog  in  his  favorite  tricks  to  an  ad- 
miring audience  of  soldiers.  Even  a  lieutenant  had 
condescended  to  become  an  amused  spectator  of 
the  performance. 

Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  objection  made 
to  Mink's  presence  in  the  quarters,  but,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  some  of  the  soldiers  suggested  a 
resemblance  between  Mink  and  Sergeant  Gruff,  and 
the  conceit  was  so  amusing  that  they  addressed  the 


A   CHANGE  OF  SCENE.  21 

dog  by  the  old  sergeant's  name.  The  sergeant,  in 
passing,  overheard  the  comparison,  and  angrily 
roared  out  his  displeasure,  dispersed  the  crowd,  and 
ordered  poor  Mink  from  the  garrison  quarters. 

Jed  begged  and  pleaded,  but  it  wJ?  useless  ;  the 
sergeant  Avas  inexorable.  For  a  time  Mink  skulked 
outside  the  fort,  repulsed  by  guard  and  garrison. 
Easy-going  Jed  was  much  disgusted  with  army 
life,  —  a  sentiment  which  was  at  that  time  strongly 
indorsed  by  my  own  feelings. 

A  soldier's  life  may  be  enchanting  when  seen  in 
occasional  glimpses  on  dress-parade  or  review,  but 
often  is  the  reverse  when  it  becomes  a  part  of  one's 
daily  life. 

There  is  in  all  garrisons  and  regiments  a  wink- 
ing at  the  employment  of  soldiers  as  menials,  for 
wliich  there  is  no  warrant  in  army  regulations.  A 
private  soldier,  perhaps,  to  gain  a  few  extra  dollars 
each  month,  acts  as  a  barber.  A  sergeant  or  cor- 
poral often  is  mean  enough  to  exact  tliis  service 
from  a  private  without  pay.  There  is  no  reason 
why  the  subordinate  should  perform  these  duties 
other  than  to  win  the  favor  of  his  immediate  supe- 
rior, that  he  may  thereby  escape  some  more  real 
duty. 

Jed  and  I  at  times  attempted  to  earn  a  little 
extra  money  by  blacking  the  shoes  of  the  soldiers, 
whereupon  Corporal  O'Keif,  of  our  squad,  began  to 
exact  this  service  from  us  as  his  due,  without  pay- 
ing for  it.    I  had  never  fancied  blacking  shoes  since 


22  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

my  Boston  experience  in  that  line,  and  only  on  rare 
occasions  blacked  any  one's  shoes  but  my  own.  I 
had  just  come  from  duty  at  the  guard  quarters  one 
morning  when  Corporal  O'Keif,  as  imperiously  as 
a  king  of  Pri#sia,  ordered  me  to  clean  and  black  a 
pair  of  muddy  shoes  for  him.  I  refused.  The  cor- 
poral had  been  drinking,  and  was  in  unusually  bad 
temper  that  morning,  whether  because  a  bottle  of 
old  rye  had  given  out,  or  because  of  his  supreme 
pleasure,  I  do  not  know. 

"  What  in  blazes  did  you  come  into  the  army  for  ? 
to  be  a  gentleman  ?  "  he  angrily  roared. 

"  Not  to  black  an  Irish  blackguard's  boots,"  was 
my  equall}^  angry  reply. 

The  corporal  attempted  to  chastise  me,  but  I  was 
a  better  runner  than  he,  and,  though  pursued  furi- 
ously, I  kept  far  enough  in  advance  to  tantalize  and 
lead  him  on.  The  race  drew  together  quite  an 
audience,  who  applauded  me  and  gibed  at  the  cor- 
poral. The  corporal  was  almost  blind  with  anger 
and  whiskey,  when  Jed  suddenly  stepped  out  in 
front  of  him  with  the  corporal's  shoes,  well  blacked, 
in  his  hand.  Before  Corporal  O'Keif  could  halt  he 
had  tumbled  on  to  Jed,  and  began  to  beat  him. 

When  Jed  at  last  escaped  from  the  corporal's 
embrace,  with  well-assumed  humility  he  said,  ''I 
don't  see  what  you  want  to  run  after  me  and  beat 
me  for.    I  ain't  done  nothin'  but  shine  your  shoes." 

The  corporal  could  hardly  believe  his  senses  when 
Jed  held  his  well-blacked  shoes  toward  him. 


A   CHANGE  OF  SCENE.  23 

"  And  sure  are  yez  the  bye  I  have  been  chasing?  " 
said  he. 

"  Yes,  and  pounding  too,  corporal,"  said  Jed. 

"  Be  jimminy !  how  did  yez  get  toime  to  black 
them  shoes  when  I  was  chasing  yez  ?  " 

"Dick  likes  to  run,  and  he  was  running  some 
too,  so  as  to  give  me  time,"  was  Jed's  rather  lame 
explanation,  but  which  I  have  no  doubt  would  have 
satisfied  the  corporal,  but  for  the  jeers  and  roars  of 
laughter  from  the  spectators. 

These  caused  the  Irish  corporal  to  walk  away 
with  his  shoes,  meditatively  using  in  an  undertone 
misplaced  theological  words. 

I  had  seen  by  this  time  enough  of  soldier's  life 
in  garrison  to  understand  that  it  was  not  enough 
for  one  simply  to  do  his  duty  to  obtain  favor.  He 
must  make  as  many  friends  as  possible. 

Shortly  after  the  scene  narrated,  while  Jed  and  I 
were  on  pass  at  the  village  of  Hampton,  we  made 
a  friend  of  Sergeant  Gruff. 

The  worst  vice  of  the  soldier  is  drunkenness,  and 
the  sergeant  had  either  been  unfortunate  in  his 
selection  of  liquors,  or  had  forgotten  to  keep  score 
with  liis  usual  circumspection,  and  was  drunk.  His 
person,  ordinarily  the  model  of  neatness,  was  soiled, 
his  garments  muddy,  and  generally  the  old  soldier 
was  in  poor  plight  for  dress-parade,  or  even  ordinary 
duty. 

No  one  knew  tliis  better  than  the  old  veteran 
himself.     He  said  "  his  het  vas  sober,  if  his  legs  ver 


24  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

trunk."  Jed  was  full  of  compassion  for  the  old 
sergeant,  and  remarked  that  he  reminded  him  so 
much  of  his  own  dad  as  to  almost  make  him  cry. 

"See  here,  sergeant,"  said  Jed,  "you  can't  get 
into  port  without  a  pilot,  and  Dick  and  I  will  help 
you." 

The  sergeant  looked  unsteadily  at  us  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then,  with  the  ejaculation,  "  Go  aheat, 
poys,"  surrendered  himself  to  our  direction. 

We  helped  him  into  a  neighboring  house,  cleaned 
his  clothes,  and  I  pumped  water  on  his  head  while 
Jed  rubbed  it  hard  and  wiped  it  dry.  Under 
this  process  (to  which  he  submitted  with  surprising 
docility)  he  gradually  straightened  up,  saying, 
"  Smart  poys,  smart  poys.  Make  shenerals  pefore 
you  die." 

We  finally  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  his  quar- 
ters without  any  one  suspecting  his  condition,  and 
the  old  sergeant  thenceforward  became  our  firm 
friend.  Mink  was  admitted  to  the  garrison,  and 
was  sometimes  to  be  seen  asleep  on  the  sergeant's 
lap. 

Sergeant  Gruff  was  a  man  of  superior  education, 
having,  it  was  said,  been  educated  in  one  of  the 
great  German  universities  for  the  priesthood.  He 
often  invited  Jed  and  myself  into  his  quarters,  and 
instructed  us  in  the  higher  duties  of  a  soldier,  gave 
us  lessons  in  bayonet  drill,  sword  exercise,  and 
directed  us  in  the  study  of  the  infantry  and  artil- 
lery text-book.    He  also  advised  us  in  the  selection 


A    CHANGE  Of  scene.  25 

of  books  to  read  from  the  well-stocked  garrison 
library.  He  had  the  true  spirit  of  a  teacher,  for  he 
made  us  desire  to  know  more  than  he  taught  us. 
It  was  his  judicious  instruction  and  intelligent  ob- 
servations that  gave  me,  for  the  first  time,  a  real 
love  for  military  life,  and  which  in  time  made  both 
Jed  and  myself  good  subordinates,  imbued  with 
that  spirit  of  discipline  which  alone  can  make  one 
fit  for  higher  positions.  For  one  must  learn  to 
obey  before  they  can  command;  or,  as  Sergeant 
Gruff  said,  "  Know  how  to  do  a  ting  right  pefore 
you  try  to  make  some  vone  else  do  it  right." 

Another  of  the  veteran's  maxims  was,  "  Keeps 
your  temper  alvays.  If  you  gets  mat,  get  mat  mit 
your  equal,  not  mit  your  superior  officer.  That 
will  be  so  vorse  for  you  as  dunder."  This  was  good 
advice,  which,  if  I  had  taken,  would  have  saved  me 
much  trouble,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN  THE   GUAHD-HOUSE. 

T  HAD  been  on  guard  duty  one  day  when  O'Keif 
-'-  was  corporal  of  the  guard.  This  Irish  "non 
com  "  had  not  forgiven  me  for  refusing  to  polish 
his  shoes,  or  for  making  him  ridiculous  by  playing 
tricks  on  him,  as  he  insisted  on  calling  the  per- 
formance narrated  in  a  former  chapter. 

Since  that  time  he  had  shown  his  resentment  in 
various  ways,  and  never  ceased  to  find  fault  with  me 
when  I  was  on  duty  under  him.  That  morning, 
after  being  reUeved  from  guard  duty,  the  corporal 
told  me  I  did  not  know  how  to  drum,  and  had  not 
beaten  the  reveille  correctly.  In  this  the  corporal 
had  more  conceit  than  knowledge ;  and  in  any  case, 
it  was  not  his  duty  to  instruct  me,  or  mine  to  receive 
his  instruction  in  drumming.  When,  therefore,  he 
attempted  to  take  the  drum-sticks  from  my  hands, 
I  resisted.  In  the  squabble  which  followed,  while 
I  was  backing  away  from  him,  his  foot  tripped,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  "  fended  off "  with  the  drum, 
through  which  his  head  crashed  (with  a  little  of 
my  assistance),  leaving  the  drum  resting  on  his 
shoulders  like  some  patent  substitute  for  his  own 
head.    Had  the  affair  ended  here  it  would  have  been 

20 


I  "fended  off"  with  the  drum,  through  which  his  head 
crashed.  — Page  26. 


IN  THE  GUARD-HOUSE.  27 

fortunate  for  me ;  but  Mink,  fancying  that  I  was 
being  abused,  had  been  snapping  at  O'Keif  s  heels 
and  had  noAV  seized  the  broadest  part  of  liis  trousers. 
The  fun  of  the  situation  was  too  much  for  me,  and 
bestriding  the  corporal's  shoulders,  I  began  beating 
the  sick  call  on  the  drum.  This,  with  the  barking 
of  Mink,  and  the  howls  of  anger  from  O'Keif,  di-ew 
together  a  crowd  to  witness  the  humorous  tableau. 
Even  the  officers  came  to  the  scene,  and  among 
them  was  the  commandant. 

O'Keif  had  now  got  to  his  feet,  and  was  pulling 
the  drum  from  his  head,  and  filling  the  air  with 
exclamations,  when  the  commandant  cried  out,  — 

"  Here,  here  !  what  does  this  mean  ?  " 

''  This  blackguard  of  a  bye  has  been  beating  me 
head  with  the  drum,  and  is  the  devil  with  his 
thricks,"  was  the  confused  response.  The  com- 
mandant walked  away  without  comment,  but  later 
in  the  day  I  was  sent  to  the  guard-quarters  under 
arrest. 

My  offence  from  a  military  standpoint  was  a 
serious  one,  which  few  who  are  not  conversant  with 
military  exactions  will  understand.  I  was  guilty 
not  only  of  insubordination,  but  of  striking  my 
military  superior.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that  I 
took  a  very  serious  view  of  the  affair. 

Among  the  prisoners  at  the  guard-house  was 
the  fifer,  O'Meara.  He  was  about  forty-five  years 
of  age  and  had  been  in  the  service  twenty  years. 
He  was  an  intelligent  man,  but  was  intemperate, 


28  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  the  offence  for  which  he  was  in  durance  was 
getting  drunk  and  overstaying  his  pass. 

"Yez  in  a  scrape,  and  no  mistake,  youngster," 
said  he. 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  I,  not  having  a  proper  sense  of 
my  offence. 

"  Why  now,  me  bye,  don't  you  see,  a  court-mar- 
tial is  convened  to  convict,  and  considers  the  cul- 
prit guilty  until  he's  proved  to  be  innocent.  The 
only  chance  is  that  they  may  drop  ye  like  a  hot 
potato  without  a  trial." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Why,  after  keeping  yez  here  a  while,  they  may 
put  yez  on  duty  again  without  a  word,  and  yez'd 
be  a  lucky  bye  if  they  do." 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Say  nothing,  but  saw  wood,"  was  the  sage  ad- 
vice of  the  fifer,  drawn  doubtless  from  long  ex- 
perience. 

I  soon  found  that  being  a  prisoner  under  guard 
meant  doing  the  servile  work  of  the  garrison,  such 
as  cleaning  rusty  muskets,  sweeping  the  parade 
ground,  and  washing  out  the  officers'  quarters. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  soldiers  whom  I  met,  there 
did  not  appear  to  be  any  particular  disgrace  attached 
to  being  in  the  guard-house.  I  spread  my  blanket 
on  the  sloping  shelf-like  boards  which  formed  its 
sleeping  accommodations,  and  soon  felt  as  much 
at  home  there  as  anywhere. 

The  ''don't  know"  and  "don't  care"  qualities 


IN   THE  GUARD-HOUSE.  29 

of  youngsters,  which  spring  from  ignorance  and  in- 
experience, often  stand  them  in  as  good  stead  as 
the  philosophy  of  their  eklers.  To  them,  trouble 
in  prospective  exists  simply  in  name.  Youth  lives 
in  the  present,  and  borrows  no  trouble  from  the 
future.  This  is  well,  for  trouble  comes  soon  enough 
in  reality  without  borrowing  it  by  anticipation. 

Another  of  the  prisoners  at  this  time  was  a 
young  man  named  Walker  who  had  joined  the 
army  some  months  before  as  a  recruit.  His  of- 
fence had  been  in  trying  to  force  the  guard.  He 
had  been  intercepted  while  attempting  to  "  run  the 
guard,"  had  wrested  a  musket  from  one  of  them, 
and  had  nearly  effected  his  escape  when  he  was 
overpowered.  He  had  an  intelligent  but  imperious 
face,  was  educated,  and  his  person  as  well  as  man- 
ners and  conversation  showed  intelligence  and  re- 
finement. He  was  of  magnificent  physique,  tall, 
straight,  and  graceful.  Of  his  parentage,  home, 
and  real  name  we  knew  nothing,  and  could  learn 
notliing  except  that  Walker  was  an  assumed  name. 
He  had  learned  the  drill  as  if  by  intuition,  while 
his  military  bearing  made  him  a  prominent  figure 
in  the  ranks  on  the  parade  ground.  It  was  sur- 
mised that  he  had  run  away  from  school  or  college. 
Just  before  he  was  to  have  been  summoned  before 
the  court-martial,  he  was  visited  by  a  well-known 
gentleman  of  the  vicinity,  who  held  a  private  con- 
versation with  him,  and  later  was  closeted  with  the 
commanding  officer.      A  few  evenings  after  this 


30  •  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

while  out  under  guard,  it  was  said  that  Walker 
wrested  a  musket  from  the  guard  and  escaped. 
He  was  never  heard  from  in  the  garrison  again. 

The  wise  ones  among  the  garrison  soldiers  shook 
their  heads  sagely,  as  if  there  were  more  in  the 
affair  than  appeared  on  the  surface.  It  AA^as  not 
until  the  AVar  of  the  Rebellion  was  in  progress  that 
I  saw  him  again,  and  the  matter  was  in  part  made 
clear. 

During  my  imprisonment  I  was  constantly 
visited  by  Jed  and  his  dog.  It  was  remarked 
that  my  guard-house  life  wore  on  Jed  worse 
than  on  me.  Sergeant  Gruff  one  morning  came 
to  the  guard-quarters,  and,  after  some  informal  talk 
with  the  officer  of  the  day,  said,  "  Veil,  youngster, 
you've  prought  your  pigs  to  a  fine  market,"  and 
talked  to  me  A\dth  great  severity  about  my  military 
misdeeds.  At  his  request  I  gave  him  a  full,  and, 
in  the  main,  correct  account  of  the  affair  from  my 
own  standpoint.  It  seems  that  my  version  Avas 
fully  sustained  by  others,  to  whom  I  referred  the 
old  sergeant. 

The  court-martial  was  convened,  and  the  trials 
began.  I  had  thought  it  possible  that  the  influence 
of  Sergeant  Gruff  might  stand  me  in  good  stead, 
but  Avas  not  prepared  for  what  foUoAved,  Avhen,  one 
morning  I  Avas  released,  and  unceremoniously  placed 
on  duty. 

The  experience  of  nearly  a  month  in  the  guard- 
house had  a  salutary  effect  upon  me.    It  made  me 


IN  THE  GUARD-HOUSE.  81 

see  the  folly  of  giving  way  to  temper,  or  of  yielding 
to  my  propensity  for  mischievous  fun.  Though 
with  maturer  years  I  have  never  lost  my  sense  of 
humor,  I  have  managed  to  hold  it  subject  to  the 
rules  of  common  sense,  sufficiently  at  least  to  re- 
strain me  from  beating  the  sick  call  on  my  superior's 
head. 

Sergeant  Gruff  having  been  instrumental  in  ob- 
taining my  release,  took  me  under  his  especial 
protection.  Jed  liad  already  been  installed  in  the 
sergeant's  affections.  When  asked  why  he  exerted 
himself  in  my  behalf,  he  is  said  to  have  replied, 
"  Zat  poy  Jed,  he  vas  so  pale  and  goot  for  notting 
at  all,  until  dat  youngster  vas  let  out  of  the  guard- 
house." 

Jed  had  now  lost  the  look  of  premature  age  no- 
ticeable on  his  face  when  we  first  knew  him.  Ser- 
geant Gruff  visited  boon  companions  and  the  lager- 
beer  kegs  less  than  formerly,  as  if  he  had  taken  a 
new  interest  in  life  with  the  concern  he  had  for 
his  ''poys."  It  was  my  delight  to  read  aloud  to 
the  old  sergeant  until  his  pipe  dropped  from  his 
mouth,  and  he  fell  asleep  in  his  garrison  chair. 
On  such  occasions  the  dog  would  noiselessly  get 
down  from  his  knees,  and  Jed  would  give  him  a 
little  shake  and  help  him  to  bed.  Sometimes  the 
sergeant  would  sleepily  say,  "  Such  a  poy  as  dot 
Jed  never  vas  pefore." 

The  lives  of  those  around  us  were  a  standing 
commentary  on  the  evils  of  drunkenness ;  and,  hap- 


32  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

pily  for  both  Jed  and  myself,  we  profited  by  their 
example,  and  shunned  strong  drink.  The  advice 
of  Sergeant  Gruff  was  also  in  favor  of  sobriety. 
"  Poys,  I  should  have  pen  a  sheneral  if  I  hat  not 
pen  such  a  trunkard,"  was  an  often  repeated  saying 
of  his.  Again  he  would  say,  "  Trink  makes  a  hog 
of  a  man."  I  have  since  believed  that  it  is  the 
association  of  boys  with  genteel  drinkers  that  makes 
drunkards  of  them,  rather  than  companionship  with 
the  vice  in  its  more  beastly  forms. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CHARLESTON   ON   THE   EVE   OF   THE   REBELLION. 

""^TEARLY  four  years  had  elapsed  since  the 
-^^  scene  of  our  last  chapter.  We  were  now 
almost  men.  Jed  was  eighteen  years  old,  tall, 
straight,  and  with  a  fine  physique  and  manly  bear- 
ing. Study  under  Sergeant  Gruff  had  given  a 
thoughtful  cast  to  his  face;  while  the  wholesome 
diet  and  methodical  habits  of  military  life  had 
formed  both  his  body  and  mind  in  a  vigorous 
mould.  At  this  time  I  was  slight  in  form,  yet  in 
robust  health. 

As  a  new  love  will  sometimes  kill  out  an  old 
one,  so  the  veteran  had  in  part  been  reformed  from 
drink  in  the  new  direction  given  to  his  life  by  his 
love  for  his  "  two  poys." 

In  the  summer  of  1860,  we  formed  a  part  of  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Moultrie  on  Sullivan's  Island, 
at  the  entrance  of  Charleston  Harbor.  This 
island  is  three  miles  long  and  not  over  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  broad,  and  is  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  a  scarcely  perceptible  creek  which  oozes 
through  a  marsh  and  is  hidden  by  beds  of  reeds. 
The  island  is  composed  of  little  else  than  sea  sand, 
overgrown  with  masses  of  sweet  myrtle,  and  re- 

33 


84  JED'S  AtoVJENTUnns. 

lieved  by  a  stunted  growth  of  bristly  palmetto,  ris- 
ing above  its  margin  of  hard  white  beach. 

Fort  Moultrie  was  situated  at  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  this  sandy  island. 

Near  the  Fort  there  were  a  summer  hotel  and  a 
collection  of  frame  buildings,  forming  a  little  vil- 
lage known  as  Moultrieville.  The  garrison  con- 
sisted of  two  companies  of  United  States  Artillery, 
then  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  L. 
Gardner. 

In  my  frequent  visits  to  Charleston  I  had  a  good 
opportunity  to  observe  the  prevalent  feeling  in 
that  city  during  the  excitement  preceding  the 
election  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

At  this  time  the  bitterness  then  existing  against 
the  North  and  Northern  men  can  scarcely  be  under- 
stood. 

The  great  topic  of  conversation  on  every  side 
was  politics,  and  of  what  Carolina  proposed  to  do 
in  the  event  of  the  election  of  the  "  abolition  "  can- 
didate, as  they  called  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Abolitionists,"  "  black  Republicans,"  "  nigger 
lovers,"  were  epithets  applied  indiscriminately  to 
Northern  men. 

One  of  the  great  men  of  Charleston  at  this  time 
was  Robert  Barnwell  Rhett,  of  whom  I  once  heard 
some  one  seriously  affirm  that  if  Rhett's  full  appel- 
lation were  abridged  by  the  omission  of  a  single 
syllable  or  letter,  he  would  make  it  an  affair  of 
honor,  and  insist  upon  a  personal  meeting  with  the 
one  who  thus  curtailed  it. 


EVE  OF  THE  REBELLION:  35 

My  humble  position  did  not  admit  of  the  acquaint- 
ance of  such  gentlemen,  and  I  speak  only  from 
hearsay. 

In  the  groceries,  markets,  and  lounging  rooms, 
during  August,  threats  of  secession,  in  case  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  elected,  were  as  common  as  oaths. 
After  the  election  was  made,  the  people  were  wild 
with  excitement,  and  the  military  situation  at  Fort 
Moultrie  became  serious.  The  entire  garrison  con- 
sisted of  but  sixty-three  enlisted  men,  with  thir- 
teen musicians.  The  walls  of  Fort  ^loultrie  were 
not  over  twelve  feet  high,  while  its  masonry  was 
in  such  a  cracked  and  crumbling  condition  that  I 
had  often  climbed  it. 

On  the  shore  side  of  the  fort,  looking  toward 
Fort  Sumter,  there  was  a  large  sand-bank  almost 
on  a  level  with  its  walls.  jNlinor  sand-hills  in  the 
vicinity  would  have  sheltered  sharpshooters,  or  have 
proved  excellent  positions  for  artillery  in  an  attack 
on  the  fort. 

One  morning  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  election.  Cor- 
poral O'Keif,  with  a  piece  of  chalk  and  a  board, 
was  explaining  the  military  situation  and  its 
needs. 

"You  see,  byes,"  said  he,  "we  need  some  of  them 
sticks  tied  together  they  call  '  fascines,'  and  some 
of  them  baskets  without  a  bottom  they  call  'ga- 
bions.' The  difficulty  is,  we've  got  nothing  to 
make  'em  of  but  palmetto,  and  they'd  tear  the  hands 
off  a  steam-engine." 


36  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Sergeant  Gruff,  who  had  been  a  sneering  listener 
to  these  exphmations,  kicked  away  the  board  on 
which  O'Keif  was  demonstrating  the  military  prob- 
lem, saying,  "  Dunder,  man  !  vat  you  dinks  ?  Cows 
can  vrun  right  over  dese  walls.  Vat  we  want  is  to 
find  out  how  ve  gets  out  of  dis  trap,  and  not  how  to 
stays  here." 

The  correctness  of  the  bluff  sergeant's  views  was 
afterward  demonstrated. 

The  sentiment  of  Charleston,  and  even  Moultrie- 
ville,  meanwhile,  became  each  day  more  and  more 
defiant.  "  Carolina  don't  want  soldiers  in  old 
Moultrie,  sah.  If 'the  Lincoln  government  don't 
clar  them  out,  we  do  it  for  them,  sah." 

I  heard  a  person  in  Charleston  holding  forth  one 
day  on  what  was  evidently  his  favorite  subject ; 
namely,  the  cowardice  of  the  Yankees. 

"  The  Yankees  won't  fight.  You  can't  kick  them 
into  a  fight.  When  the  South  goes  out  of  the  Union, 
the  North  will  beg  like  dogs  to  come  with  us,  sah. 
Like  dogs,  sah." 

The  re-opening  of  the  slave-trade,  as  one  of  the 
accompaniments  of  secession,  was  also  much  dis- 
cussed. I  heard  one  man  affirm  that  if  Carolina 
seceded,  the  slave-trade  would  be  re-opened,  and 
then  poor  whites  could  buy  negroes  "  dirt  cheap." 
"  At  ten  dollars  apiece,  sah.  Every  white  man  can 
be  a  gentleman,  sah." 

It  was  not  believed  at  that  time  that  the  govern- 
ment at  Washington  would   re-enforce    Moultrie. 


EVE  OF  THE  REBELLtOJV.  S7 

The  opinion  was  freely  expressed  that  the  men  of 
the  garrison  were  fools  to  stay  in  the  fort  and  resist 
an  attack.  Most  of  the  officers  had  family  connec- 
tions in  the  South,  and  were  therefore  affected  to  a 
great  degree  by  the  social  atmosphere  of  Charles- 
ton. It  was  natural  that  they  should  not  relish 
the  thought  of  fighting  against  people  with  whom 
they  had  hitherto  associated  on  most  amiable  and 
friendly  terms. 

After  Major  Anderson's  arrival,  which  was  about 
the  24th  of  September,  it  was  generally  understood 
among  us  that,  though  he  was  Southern  in  his 
sympathies,  he  would  allow  no  one  to  coax  or  coerce 
him  into  an  attitude  dishonorable  to  our  govern- 
ment. Like  most  good  soldiers,  however,  he  pre- 
ferred peace  to  war. 

It  was  some  time  in  September,  also,  that  our 
little  garrison  w^as  excited  by  the  arrival  of  Captain 
John  G.  Foster  as  engineer,  with  Lieutenants 
Snyder  and  Mead  as  assistants,-  to  repair  and 
strengthen  Fort  Moultrie. 

While  these  repairs  were  going  on,  and  the  sand 
heaps  were  being  removed  from  around  its  walls, 
we  heard  loud  threats,  on  every  side,  of  an  attack 
on  the  fort. 

A  party  which  was  sent  in  boats  to  obtain  ammu- 
nition at  the  Arsenal  on  the  south  side,  found,  upon 
their  arrival,  a  mob  of  Charleston  people  in  posses- 
sion, and  returned  without  accomplishing  their  ob- 
ject.    When  Sergeant  Gruff  was  interrogated  as  to 


38  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Major  Anderson's  probable  designs  he  replied,  "  I 
pelieve  the  major  means  to  fight." 

On  the  11th  of  September,  it  will  be  remembered, 
a  bill  was  passed  by  the  South  Carolina  Legislature 
to  arm  the  militia,  and  on  the  20th,  South  Carolina 
passed  the  ordinance  of  secession ;  or,  as  I  heard  a 
boastful  citizen  declare,  "  Carolina  became  a  free 
and  independent  nation."  The  same  citizen  de- 
clared in  my  hearing,  "  If  you  all  don't  want  to  be 
killed,  you'd  better  get  out  of  hyer."  Another  per- 
son expressed  pleasure  that  the  fort  was  being  re- 
paired, as  it  '^  saved  South  Carolina  the  expense  of 
doing  it." 

Judge  Petigru,  of  South  Carolina,  paid  our  offi- 
cers a  visit  about  this  time.  He  was  an  exception 
to  the  great  mass  of  South  Carolina  people  in  being 
a  pronounced  Union  man.  He  is  said  to  have  re- 
plied to  the  question  of  what  he  thought  of  secession 
by  saying,  ''  South  Carolina,  sir,  is  not  big  enough 
for  a  nation,  and  is  too  big  for  an  insane  asylum." 

It  was  rather  tryino^  to  human  nature  to  be  con- 
stantly  abused,  as  every  one  representing  the  Fed- 
eral Government  was  at  this  time,  by  the  people 
around  us.  The  citizens  of  Charleston  were,  how- 
ever, generally  kind  to  us  as  individuals,  though 
they  were  abusive  to  us  as  a  class.  In  my  associa- 
tion with  Southern  men  and  women  I  have  often 
found  this  to  be  the  case. 

The  worst  abuse  of  the  Lincoln  party  an^  of 
Northern  men  that  I  heard  at  this  time  was  from 


EVE  OP  nm  RE  BELLI  ON.  S() 

the  citizen  workmen  of  Charleston  and  the  masons 
from  Baltimore  engaged  on  the  repairs  of  Moultrie. 

While  bargaining  for  some  pies  with  an  old  negro 
at  Moultrie  one  day,  I  casually  mentioned  that  I 
was  a  Yankee.  After  glancing  around  him  he  said, 
while  his  attention  was  apparently  riveted  on  a  pie, 
"  My  old  massa  say  Linkum  gwine  to  set  all  the 
colored  men  free." 

Under  the  superintendence  of  Captain  Foster  the 
sand  was  dug  away  from  the  shore  side  of  Fort 
Moultrie,  and  the  ditches  and  masonry  repaired. 
Had  a  resolute  attack  been  made  while  the  repairs 
were  going  on,  it  is  safe  to  say  there  could  have 
been  but  little  resistance  made.  The  guns  had 
been  dismounted,  but  by  the  middle  of  November 
they  were  again  in  position,  and  thenceforth  the 
garrison  was  drilled  in  artillery  practice.  Shell  or 
torpedoes  were  arranged  around  the  fort  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  explode  when  a  board  connected  with 
them  was  trodden  upon. 

At  our  target  practice  and  torpedo  experiments 
there  was  commonly  a  crowd  of  talkative,  observ- 
ant citizens.  They  were  apparently  much  im- 
pressed with  the  destructiveness  of  our  artillery, 
as  well  as  by  the  possibilities  of  the  torpedoes. 

I  overheard  one  of  them  remark  that  ''  the  tor- 
pedoes around  that  fort  would  blow  up  an  army." 
Afterwards,  however,  when  similar  explosives  were 
encountered  by  the  Union  army  at  Yorktown,  they 
did  not  prove  to  be  so  terrible. 


40  JED'S  AbVENWRns. 

Among  those  who  occasionally  visited  the  fort 
was  Captain  Northrup,  an  officer  in  the  United 
States  Army,  on  sick  leave  and  full  pay,  who  subse- 
quently became  Commissary-General  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. He  was  afterward  accused  of  speculating 
on  the  rations  of  both  Union  prisoners  of  war  and 
of  Confederate  soldiers. 

Our  garrison  was  too  small  for  efficient  guard 
duty,  there  being  only  five  or  six  men,  for  one 
hour  each,  stationed  on  guard  as  a  precaution 
against  a  surprise. 

At  last  an  unexpected  climax  came.  Just  after 
dress-parade,  on  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber, before  either  officers  or  men  had  had  their 
supper,  the  order  came,  "  Get  ready  to  move  at  a 
moment's  notice." 

Threats  of  an  attack  on  Fort  Moultrie  had  fur- 
nished the  commander  with  a  plausible  pretext  for 
the  removal  of  the  garrison  families  to  some  dilapi- 
dated government  buildings  at  Fort  Johnson,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  harbor.  The  schooners,  char- 
tered ostensibly  for  carrying  the  families,  were  also 
secretly  loaded  with  stores,  with  instructions  to 
the  quartermaster  to  land  the  provisions  at  Fort 
Sumter. 

In  the  twilight  we  silently  marched  out  of  the 
Fort  and  embarked  on  board  of  boats  which  for 
this  purpose  had  been  concealed  behind  an  old  sea 
wall.  One  of  our  officers,  with  five  men,  was  left 
behind  to  man  the  guns,  with  orders  to  sink  the 


EVE   OF  THE  REBELLION.  41 

Charleston  guard-boats,  which  at  this  time  were 
patrolling  the  harbor,  if  they  fired  upon  us. 

In  crossing  the  channel  we  were  ordered  to  take 
off  our  coats  and  throAV  them  over  the  muskets. 

It  may  have  been  OAving  to  this  that  although 
one  of  the  little  steamers  patrolling  the  harbor 
came  very  near  our  boats  they  did  not  notice  the 
character  of  its  passengers.  They  doubtless  sup- 
posed us  to  be  a  party  of  workmen  from  Fort 
Sumter,  returning  to  that  fort. 

Upon  the  landing  of  the  first  boat  the  actual 
laborers  had  rushed  out  of  the  fort  to  oppose  the 
landing  of  troops,  but  without  much  opposition 
(beyond  the  clamor  of  tongues)  our  men  took  pos- 
session. That  night  we  ate  our  supper  in  Fort 
Sumter,  and  the  next  morning  there  was  great  ex- 
citement in  Charleston  over  the  intelligence  that 
Fort  Sumter  had,  in  some  mysterious  way,  been 
garrisoned. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   CURTAIN   OF   WAR   RISES. 

ri  ^HE  removal  of  the  garrison  from  Moultrie  to 
-^  Sumter  had  been  conducted  with  so  much 
secrecy  that  even  the  people  of  INIoultrieville  were 
not  aware  of  the  evacuation  until  late  the  following 
forenoon. 

Captain  Foster,  of  the  Engineers,  visited  the 
Fort  on  that  morning  with  a  detachment  for  guard, 
and  finding  it  deserted,  after  removing  stores  and 
war  munitions,  set  fire  to  the  gun  carriages  and 
such  stores  as  could  not  be  removed. 

Our  officers  and  men  were  elated  at  having  stolen 
so  successful  a  march  upon  those  who  thought  they 
were  to  have  everything  their  own  way. 

It  is  even  said  that  the  Charleston  people  were 
angry  at  our  want  of  politeness  in  making  so  im- 
portant a  move  without  consulting  them.  Illustra- 
tive of  this,  that  very  afternoon  two  officers  from 
town  in  full  uniform  w^aited  upon  Major  Anderson, 
and  politely  but  sternly  requested  him  to  return 
with  his  command  to  Fort  Moultrie.  The  insur- 
gents are  said  to  have  considered  it  an  additional 
affront  and  grievance  that  our  commander  did  not 
comply  with  this  modest  request. 

42 


LI  J 


*fe§ 


^  >>     ,>J  ^  y^\, 


ilittiiiir 


"Eaisini?  the  fla"-  at  Sumter."  —  Pajje  45. 


THE   CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  43 

Early  in  the  morning  after  our  arrival,  Jed  and 
I  went  over  the  fort  to  view  our  new  quarters. 
It  was  what  Jed  called  a  two-story  fort ;  that  is, 
arranged  for  an  upper  and  loAver  tier  of  guns. 

It  was  constructed  of  brick  and  stone,  and  was 
five-sided  or  pentagonal  in  form,  but  was  as  yet  in 
an  unfinished  condition.  Sergeant  Gruff  pointed 
out  to  us  that  the  fort  had  no  flanking  defences, 
and  was  so  incomplete  that  it  would  require  weeks 
of  labor  to  put  it  in  a  proper  defensive  condition. 

The  ujDper  tier  of  embrasures  or  openings  for 
guns,  were  simply  irregular  holes,  roughly  boarded 
up,  while  on  the  gate  side  only  a  few  guns  were  as 
yet  mounted.  The  interior  of  the  fort  was  ob- 
structed with  the  rubbish  of  masonry,  and  had  no 
fii-e-proof  quarters  for  officers  or  men,  unless  the 
chambers  in  the  ramparts  or  casemates  might  be  so 
considered. 

Fort  Sumter  stands  mid^vay  at  the  mouth  of 
Charleston  Harbor ;  while  Castle  Pinckney  is  on  the 
right  of  and  near  the  city,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Cooper  River. 

Jed  and  I,  while  on  the  ramparts  facing  Charles- 
ton, could  hear  the  sound  of  church  bells  in  the 
city,  a  little  over  three  miles  distant,  and  see  its 
spires  and  houses  distinctly.  While  the  men  of 
the  garrison  were  on  the  ramparts,  one  of  the  little 
steamers  patrolling  the  bay  came  near  the  fort. 
There  was  evidently  great  excitement  on  board  at 
eight  of  pur  crowded  ramparts, 


44  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

This  steamer  conveyed  to  Charleston,  it  is  said, 
the  first  intelligence  that  the  fort  had  been  myste- 
riously garrisoned  during  the  night. 

On  our  right  was  Fort  iMoultrie,  about  a  mile 
away ;  Fort  Johnson  on  our  left,  a  little  over  the 
same  distance ;  while  Cumming's  Point  was  less 
than  a  mile  on  our  left  rear. 

It  was  from  tliis  last-named  fort,  under  easy 
reach  of  our  guns,  that  formidable  batteries  cov- 
ered with  railroad  iron  were  erected,  and  from 
which  the  fii'st  gun  was  afterwards  fired  upon 
Sumter. 

At  all  these  points,  with  the  exception  of  Charles- 
ton, the  insurgents  began  erecting,  without  inter- 
ference from  us,  the  batteries  which  afterwards 
opened  their  encircling  fire  upon  Sumter. 

For  days  and  weeks  succeeding  our  arrival, 
steamers  and  vessels  laden  with  material  for  the 
construction  of  these  works  passed  under  the  very 
muzzles  of  our  guns,  and  old  hulks  were  being  sunk 
in  the  ship  channel  to  obstruct  navigation. 

In  view  of  the  forbearance  which  refrained  from 
disturbing  these  treasonable  preparations,  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  a  rebel  officer  (Captain  G. 
V.  Fox,  formerly  of  tlie  United  States  Navy)  inti- 
mated that  he  would  like  permission  of  the  oificers 
at  Sumter  to  anchor  his  iron-clad  floating  battery 
near  the  main  gate. 

This  illustrates  how  little  the  United  States 
Government  did  to  bring  on  the  conflict  which 


THE  CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  45 

followed.  It  has  been  asserted,  and  I  believe  it  to 
be  true,  that  at  this  time  a  single  ship  of  war 
could  have  sailed  up  Charleston  Harbor  to  its 
wharves  and  have  nipped  the  rebellion  in  the  bud. 

At  noon  on  the  first  day  of  our  occupation,  an 
impressive  service  took  place.  The  men  were 
formed  in  the  fort  under  arms ;  and  after  a  prayer 
by  the  chaplain,  and  while  the  band  played,  they 
presented  arms  as  the  stars  and  stripes  were  raised 
over  the  fort. 

The  work  of  putting  the  fort  in  a  condition  of 
defence  began  at  once.  Guns  were  mounted,  sand 
bags  filled  and  piled  up,  and  the  rubbish  cleared 
away.  A  mine  was  constructed  at  the  end  of  the 
wharf ;  while  the  walls,  which  at  that  point  were 
quite  thin,  were  strengthened  by  a  new  wall  of 
masonry,  and  onl}^  an  entrance  large  enough  for  a 
single  man  left.  This  entrance  was  commanded  by 
a  howitzer  loaded  with  canister.  The  ragged  em- 
brasures were  also  properly  finished. 

On  the  same  day  that  we  raised  the  National 
flag  over  Sumter,  the  Charleston  people  raised 
the  flag  of  revolt  over  Castle  Pinckney.  Men  of 
the  detachment  who  had  accompanied  Captain 
Foster  to  Moultrie,  on  returning,  saw  the  insur- 
gents going  over  to  this  fort  in  their  boats. 

The  castle  had  been  garrisoned  by  Ordnance  Ser- 
geant Skillen.  That  his  daughter  was  worthy  to 
be  a  soldier's  daughter,  is  shown  by  her  subsequent 
conduct.     When  the   Charleston  insurgents  took 


46  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

possession  it  is  said  they  found  her  crying.  One 
of  the  gallant  invaders,  thinking  to  comfort  her 
said,  "  My  dear  young  lady,  no  one  will  hurt  you ; 
don't  cry." 

With  flashing  eyes,  Miss  Kate  replied,  "  I  am  not 
crying  because  I  am  afraid,  but  because  that  miser- 
able rag  [pointing  to  the  palmetto  flag]  is  wheie  the 
stars  and  stripes  belong.  If  I  had  a  dozen  women 
here  with  brooms  I'd  drive  you  out  of  the  fort." 

Her  father  was  said  to  have  made  several  inef- 
fectual applications  for  more  men  and  munitions, 
in  order  that  he  might  turn  the  guns  of  Fort  Pinck- 
ney  upon  Charleston. 

The  spirit  of  both  officers  and  men  at  this  crisis 
was  right,  but  was  subordinated  to  the  desire  of 
placing  the  insurgents  in  the  wrong. 

The  Charleston  people  seized  Castle  Pinckney 
and  Fort  Moultrie,  and  also  the  United  States  rev- 
enue cutter  in  the  harbor,  without  the  formality  of 
even  a  declaration  of  war.  This  "last  act  was 
clearly  one  of  piracy. 

It  was  exasperating  to  see  this  revenue  vessel 
of  the  United  States  thereafter  anchored  near 
Sumter,  overhauling  our  mails,  and  everything 
which  came  to  us. 

Sergeant  Gruff,  who  despised  civilians,  said  it 
showed  what  fools  politics  made  of  men.  ''  Sol- 
diers," said  he,  ''  should  not  have  anything  to  do 
mit  politics,  poys ;  it  makes  fools  mit  eferybody 
dot  mixes  mit  it," 


THE   CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  47 

While  we  do  not  indorse  the  okl  sergeant's 
sweeping  axiom,  yet  had  it  been  afterwards  gen- 
erally adopted  by  officers  in  high  command,  it 
would  have  saved  them  from  many  humiliations. 

To  understand  our  situation  more  clearly,  it  is 
needful  to  say  that  the  laborers  found  here  upon 
our  arrival,  had  mostly  been  detained  to  work  on 
the  fort,  and  that  the  wives  and  children  of  the 
soldiers  now  joined  the  garrison  at  Sumter.  These 
additional  mouths  used  up  our  rations  very  fast. 
In  a  few  weeks  we  were  out  of  sugar,  and  had  no 
candles  by  which  to  light  our  quarters.  In  a  little 
lighthouse  inside  the  fort,  a  small  quantity  of  oil 
had  been  found  which  was  used  for  this  purpose. 
The  garrison  was  also  out  of  soap  for  AMishing 
clothes,  and  fuel  for  heating  the  quarters,  although 
there  was  enough  for  cooking  the  food. 

Sometimes  we  were  allowed  to  purchase  supplies 
in  Charleston,  and  again  were  refused  the  privilege. 
The  market-men  at  times  refused  to  sell  us  food, 
and  had,  as  Jed  said,  ''  spasms,  both  in  their  prices 
and  their  disposition  to  sell." 

The  wives  of  Captains  Doubleday  and  Seymour 
both  came  to  the  fort  soon  after  our  occupation, 
but  for  some  reason  returned  to  Charleston.  When 
they  endeavored  to  obtain  board  in  that  city  it  is 
said  they  were  referred  to  Mr.  Rhett,  editor  of  the 
Mercury^  for  permission  to  do  so. 

The  sentiment  against  Federal  officers  and  their 
wives  was  so  strong  that  these  ladies  were  finally 


48  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

sent  North;  and  in  February  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  the  soldiers  were  also  sent,  in  the  steamer 
Marion^  to  Fort  Hamilton  in  New  York  Harbor. 

The  days  dragged  monotonously  along,  relieved 
by  occasional  visits  of  outsiders,  who  roamed  at 
will  over  the  fort.  Among  our  visitors  was  a  Major 
Anderson,  the  owner  of  the  Tredegar  Iron  Works 
at  Richmond,  who  came  to  Charleston  to  bring 
heavy  guns  and  munitions  of  war  to  the  insur- 
gents. 

A  photographer  also  came  to  photograph  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  garrison.  At  another  time 
Mr.  Lamon,  said  to  have  been  a  former  law-partner 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  came  with  Colonel  Duryea  of 
Charleston. 

One  morning  in  February  (the  9th,  I  tliink  it 
was),  Jed  and  myself,  who  slept  together,  were 
awakened  and  ordered  to  beat  the  long  roll,  calling 
the  men  to  their  positions  at  the  guns.  We  heard 
heavy  firing  from  several  directions,  and  when  at 
liberty  saAv,  from  one  of  the  embrasures  of  the  fort, 
a  ship  with  the  stars  and  stripes  at  her  fore  peak  in 
the  main  ship  channel,  off  Morris  Island. 

The  batteries,  both  at  Camming's  Point  and  at 
Fort  Moultrie,  were  firing  upon  her.  She  had 
quickly  passed  from  under  the  range  of  the  guns 
at  Cumming's  Point,  but,  receiving  no  sign  from 
Sumter,  finally  turned  and  sailed  doAvn  the  chan- 
nel again,  and  out  into  the  ocean.  It  was  the  Star 
of  the  West^  with  men  and  supplies  for  Sumter, 


THE  CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  49 

The  forbearance  of  our  military  representatives  at 
this  time  is  again  shown  in  the  fact  that  all  around 
us,  in  plain  sight,  were  to  be  seen  gangs  of  workmen 
building  batteries  and  mounting  guns,  before  which 
our  defences  were  to  prove  as  impotent  as  if  built 
of  cardboard. 

In  March,  after  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  the  establishment  of  the  Confederacy,  when  a 
practice  shot  from  one  of  the  enemy's  guns  at  Cum- 
ming's  Point  struck  near  our  wharf,  we  expected  the 
fight  to  begin.  Corporal  O'Keif  growled  because 
the  men  were  not  called  to  their  guns  to  return 
this  fire,  as  by  this  time  severe  guard  duty,  short 
rations,  and  anger  at  many  vexatious  humilia- 
tions, made  the  men  anxious  to  begin  the  fight 
before  they  became  weaker  and  the  insurgents 
stronger. 

By  the  1st  of  April  our  guns  were  in  position, 
and  many  of  the  workmen  were  shortly  afterwards 
sent  to  Charleston.  Our  fuel,  which  had  for  some 
time  consisted  of  the  wooden  sheds  of  the  fort,  had 
been  entirely  consumed,  while  for  rations  we  had 
only  pork  and  water. 

A  schooner  which  attempted  to  enter  Charleston 
Harbor  on  the  3d,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  flying 
at  her  mast-head,  was  fired  upon  by  the  Confede- 
rates, and  the  men  were  ordered  again  to  the  guns, 
but  did  not  return  the  fire. 

On  the  10th  some  houses  opposite  us  at  Moul- 
trieville  were  torn  down,  disclosing  a  formidable 


50  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

battery,  coniinanding  our  heaviest  guns.  The  same 
afternoon  Major  Anderson  received  a  demand  for 
the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  ;  and  preparations  on 
ever}^  side  pointed  to  the  speedy  opening  of  a  con- 
flict wliich  should  roll  back  the  curtain  of  peace, 
disclosino'  a  terrible  civil  war. 

On  the  night  of  Thursday,  the  10th  of  April,  I 
was  drummer  of  the  guard.  During  the  day  I  had 
asked  Sergeant  Gruff  if  he  thought  we  should  really 
have  a  fight.  ''  Fight,  poy  I  Wliy,  vat  they  digs 
all  dese  earthworks  round  us  for?  They  mean 
pizness,  poy,  pizness."  And  then  the  old  sergeant 
added,  with  a  groan,  '^  Politics,  politics,  politics,"  as 
if  this  word  was  a  key  to  the  madness  and  passion 
of  the  hour,  and  the  conflict  which  was  about  to 
burst  upon  us. 

"  Byes,"  said  Corporal  OTveif  at  guard-quarters, 
"  the  ribels  have  already  fired  on  the  American  flag, 
and  bedad  I  it  seemed  to  like  the  sinsation." 

The  reseiwe  of  the  guard,  about  four  o'clock  next 
morning,  was  awakened  by  a  shot  from  the  enemy. 
It  was  their  signal  fi'un  from  Fort  Johnson  for  the 
opening  of  the  battle.  Before  I  could  reach  the 
ramparts  a  shot  from  the  battery  at  Cumming's 
Point  crashed  through  the  walls  on  the  side  nearest 
the  gate  of  Sumter.  When  I  reached  the  parapet, 
the  flash  of  guns  all  around  us,  and  the  roar  of  artil- 
lery, together  with  crasliing  shot  on  our  crumbling 
walls,  showed  that  the  conflict  had  begun. 

Several  otflcers  and  men  were    already  on   the 


THE  CURTAIN  OF   WAR  RISES.  51 

parapets.  One  of  them  said  jestingly,  "You  see, 
they  have  begun  their  entertainment," 

"  Those  who  open  the  ball  don't  always  dance 
with  the  last  set,  though,"  said  an  Irish  private 
near  me. 

The  men  were  ordered  from  the  parapet  by  the 
officers  for  fear  of  casualties,  and  sent  to  their  quar- 
ters. 

"  Get  all  the  sleep  you  can,  you'll  need  it,"  said 
one  of  them.  But  there  was  no  longer  any  sleep 
for  the  garrison  at  Sumter. 

"  Just  as  if  any  one  could  sleep  w^ith  the  brick 
tumbling  down  like  that,"  growled  0"Keif,  as  a 
shot  struck  the  upper  walls,  and  flakes  of  masonry 
fell  around  us. 

The  shell  from  the  mortar  batteries  of  the  enemy, 
sailing  through  the  air,  came  down  vertically  inside 
the  walls,  and,  exploding,  shook  the  fort  with  the 
concussion.  For  an  hour  the  shell  fell  into  Sumter, 
and  the  shot  went  crashing  through  its  walls  w^ith- 
out  a  reply  from  the  garrison.  We  had  no  means 
of  lighting  the  fort,  and  had  to  wait  for  daylight. 
When  at  last  it  was  broad  day,  and  the  garrison 
had  eaten  a  meagre  meal  of  pork  and  water,  the 
men  were  ordered  to  the  guns.  The  interval  seemed 
a  day,  instead  of  an  hour. 

"  The  fellers  on  t'other  side  save  us  the  trouble 
of  beating  a  very  long  roll,"  said  Jed  jestingly,  as 
we  began  to  rattle  off  the  call  to  summon  the  gar- 
rison. 


52  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Tlie  first  detachment,  under  Captain  Abner 
Doubleday,  from  tlie  southeast  side  of  the  fort, 
began  firing  on  tlie  battery  at  Cumming's  Point. 
Tlie  shot  struck  its  slanting,  iron-clad  roof,  and 
rebounded  like  rubber  balls  when  thrown  on  top  of 
a  shed.  Nineteen  batteries  of  the  enemy  were  now 
throwing  shot  and  shell  into  Sumter. 

In  view  of  the  small  number  of  men  in  the  gar- 
rison, the  major  commanding  did  not  think  it  pru- 
dent to  man  the  upper  tier  of  guns.  Those  in  the 
upper  tier,  however,  were  our  heaviest  metal,  best 
commanded  the  guns  of  the  enemy,  and  could  have 
been  brought  to  bear  on  the  foe  where  those  of  the 
kiwer  tier  could  not.  These  guns  were  fired  only 
once  during  the  tight,  and  then  without  orders,  by 
an  Irish  sergeant,  who  could  not  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  lire  guns  loaded  and  pointed  at  an  enemy. 

Our  men  found  some  hinderances.  There  were 
no  breach  sights  to  the  guns,  but  this  was  remedied 
by  notched  sticks  in  phice  of  them. 

Under  the  heavy  cannonade  the  upper  walls  were 
soon  in  ruins,  ahuost  every  shot  of  the  enemy  which 
struck  them  bringing  down  masses  of  masonry 
both  outside  and  inside  the  fort.  At  one  time  a 
shot  struck  the  ventilator  of  the  magazine,  and  an 
explosion  seemed  imminent. 

About  ten  in  the  morning  a  fleet  of  United  States 
frigates  and  transports  were  sighted  off  the  bar. 
We  afterwards  learned  that  they  were  the  Pawnee^ 
PocaJiontas^  and  the  Powhatan,  with  the  transport 


THE  CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  53 

Baltic,  containing  provisions  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  recruits  for  tlie  fort.  They  had  arrived,  how- 
ever, too  late  to  succor  us  in  our  need. 

Notwithstanding  the  terril^le  bomhardment  of 
Sumter,  only  one  man  received  any  injuiy  in  the 
fort  that  day. 

There  were  thirty-three  laborers,  two  cooks,  and 
seven  employees  of  the  Engineers'  Department  in 
the  fort,  besides  the  garrison.  Most  of  the  remain- 
ing laborers  were  Irishmen  from  Baltimore,  who 
were  not  called  upon  to  take  any  part  in  a  fight. 
The  excitement  was,  however,  too  much  for  Irish 
nature,  and  they  soon  enthusiastically  began  serv- 
ing a  gun,  cheering  and  laughing  at  every  suc- 
cessful shot. 

As  night  came  on  we  ceased  to  work  our  guns, 
but  the  enemy  continued  filing  at  intervals  during 
the  night.  There  was  anticipation  in  Sumter  that 
the  squadron  we  had  seen  off  the  bar  might  try  to 
re-enforce  and  provision  us  during  the  night,  by 
using  the  boats. 

The  enemy  opened  fire  early  the  next  morning, 
causing  Sergeant  Gruff  to  say,  "  Poys,  they  seem 
to  be  in  a  good  deal  of  a  hurry."  After  our  meagre 
breakfast  the  long  roll  was  beaten,  summoning  the 
men  to  the  guns.  A  shower  fell  soon  after,  and  the 
enemy  for  nearly  an  hour  slackened  fire,  as  if,  as 
Sergeant  Gruff  said,  they  were  afraid  of  getting 
wet.  After  the  rain  was  over  the  gentlemen  of 
Charleston  resumed  pelting  us  with  shot  and  shell, 


54  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  one  of  the  latter  set  fire  to  the  officers'  quar- 
ters, inside  the  grounds.  The  fire  was  soon  extin- 
guished, hut  as  the  block  had  a  wooden  roof,  floors, 
and  partitions,  the  hot  shot  from  Fort  Moultrie  en- 
dangered it  every  moment. 

Soon  after  this  a  mortar  shell  burst  inside  these 
quarters,  and  the  flames  broke  out  again.  The 
officers  began  to  cut  away  the  woodwork,  while 
the  men  rolled  the  powder  from  the  magazine  to 
the  casemate,  fearing  that  the  hundreds  of  barrels 
of  powder  therein  would  be  ignited  by  the  fire. 
As  fast  as  we  placed  them  in  sheltered  positions 
the  barrels  were  covered  with  wet  blankets.  We 
had  removed  only  about  a  hundred  barrels  when 
the  door  of  the  magazine  was  struck  by  a  shot, 
and  so  bent  that  it  could  not  be  opened. 

The  rebels,  meanwhile,  apparently  seeing  the 
smoke  of  the  conflagration  inside  the  fort,  now  fired 
with  redoubled  iwry.  It  seemed  little  less  than  a 
miracle  that  the  magazine  was  not  exploded  by  a 
spark  of  the  fire  dropping  through  the  ventilator 
among  the  loose  powder. 

Let  the  reader  imagine  the  scene  at  this  hour, 
amid  the  suffocating,  blinding  smoke,  and  the  crash 
of  shot  and  shell. 

At  last  we  abandoned  all  attempts  to  work,  and 
soon  left  the  interior  and  sought  the  embrasures  of 
the  fort.  Even  here  the  smoke  choked  and  blinded 
us.  The  scene  in  the  interior,  revealed  by  occa- 
sional  glimpses,  meanwhile  was  terrible.      Great 


THE   CURTAIN  OF  WAR  RISES.  55 

tongues  of  flame  whirled  and  roared  and  licked  up 
the  woodwork  of  the  interior;  while  black  masses 
of  smoke  were  sucked  by  the  wind  into  the  case- 
mates. Our  own  shells  were  exploding  in  the 
interior,  and  the  enemy's  shells  besides. 

A  change  of  wind  (or  perhaps  the  conflagration 
was  spent)  now  gave  us  a  little  relief.  The  men 
once  more  manned  the  guns,  and  hurled  a  last  defi- 
ant cannonade  at  the  enemy.  It  was  about  noon, 
and  the  garrison  flag  which  had  been  flying  up  to 
this  time  was  now  shot  away :  it  was  nailed  to  a 
spar,  and  raised  on  the  ramparts  again. 

There  was  now  little  left  in  the  interior  but 
blackened  walls  and  smouldering  timbers ;  even 
the  massive  wooden  gate  studded  with  iron  nails 
had  been  consumed,  and  a  blackened  hole  was  in 
its  place.  The  new  wall  protecting  the  entrance 
had  crumbled ;  the  towers  were  battered  down ; 
the  cast-iron  cisterns  were  smashed,  while  the 
sally  port  and  the  embrasures  were  simply  black 
and  irregular  openings. 

Iwas  standing  in  an  embrasure  about  two  o'clock 
that  day  when  I  heard  a  conversation  between  one 
of  the  men  and  some  one  apparently  outside. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  asked  the  soldier 
roughly. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Major  Anderson,"  meekly  replied 
the  outsider. 

"  Surrender,  and  pass  your  side  arms  in  here," 
replied  the  soldier. 


56  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

This  done,  an  officer  was  called. 

Our  visitor  proved  to  be  Senator  Wigfall,  who 
mistook  the  shooting  away  of  the  flag  for  a  token 
of  the  surrender  of  the  garrison.  Later,  Roger  A. 
Pryor  and  ten  or  twelve  other  officers  came  over 
and  settled  the  terms  of  our  capitulation. 

The  first  battle  of  the  rebellion  was  over,  and  the 
flag  of  the  Republic  was  down. 

That  night  we  slept  in  the  fort,  and  the  next 
morning,  which  was  Sunday,  marched  out  with 
the  honors  of  war.  A  parting  salute  to  the  garri- 
son flag  was  fired.  This  proved  more  destructive 
to  our  men  than  the  ten  thousand  shots  poured  into 
Sumter  by  the  guns  of  the  enemy.  In  this  salute 
the  premature  discharge  of  a  gun  killed  a  private 
soldier,  and  the  fire  dropping  from  the  same  gun 
ignited  a  shell  Avhich  exploded  and  killed  five  men. 

The  American  flag  was  lowered  from  the  fortress, 
and  a  silken  Confederate  flag,  made  by  the  women 
of  Charleston,  raised  in  its  place ;  also  beside  it  the 
palmetto  flag  of  South  Carolina. 

As  we  embarked  on  the  steamer  Baltic  we  found 
the  bay  filled  with  steamers,  sailing  vessels,  boats, 
and  crafts  of  all  kinds,  crowded  by  people  who 
had  come  down  the  harbor  to  witness  the  humilia- 
tion of  United  States  soldiers  and  the  National  flag. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

HOME   OXCE  MORE. 

/^\UR  passage  to  New  York  was  uneventful. 
^-^  We  were  received  with  enthusiasm  bj  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  on  board  the  Baltic^  who  had 
witnessed  the  battle  from  afar  off. 

Mink  accompanied  Jed  and  myself.  He  had 
grown  lean  and  dejected  from  life  in  Sumter.  The 
noise  and  excitement  of  the  bombardment  had  ap- 
parently confused  and  discouraged  him.  Even  a 
dog  gets  out  of  patience  after  a  while  with  too 
much  noise,  the  nature  of  which  is  incomprehen- 
sible to  him ;  although  Mink  was  ordinarily  as  brave 
a  dog  as  ever  hung  liis  tail  half-mast  at  the  sound 
of  a  gun. 

Upon  our  arrival  in  New  York,  the  garrison,  to 
their  surjDrise,  were  regarded  as  heroes.  Musicians 
and  privates,  as  well  as  officers,  were  interviewed 
by  New  York  reporters.  Most  of  the  latter  could 
describe  the  fight  little  better  than  Corporal  O'Keif, 
who,  after  talking  about  everything  else,  confined 
his  description  of  the  fight  to  the  assertion  that  it 
was  "  a  bothering  bit  of  nyse." 

The  officers,  when  recognized  in  the  streets  of 
New  York,  were  in  danger  of   seeing  themselves 

57 


58  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

made  ludicrous  by  being  carried  on  men's  shoulders. 
However  much  elation  may  be  experienced  by  the 
performers,  the  chief  personage  in  such  an  elevation 
usually  feels  cheap  and  out  of  place. 

The  enthusiasm  evoked  by  the  stubborn  resist- 
ance of  Sumter,  was  but  the  beginning  of  a  Na- 
tional war  spirit  Avhich  in  spite  of  many  discourage- 
ments grew  stronger  and  stronger  until  the  war 
closed  in  the  triumph  of  our  arms. 

The  two  months  succeeding  the  fall  of  Sumter, 
though  so  eventful  to  the  nation,  were  the  reverse 
to  Jed  and  myself.  The  little  garrison,  after  ar- 
riving in  New  York,  was  soon  depleted  by  fur- 
loughs, discharges,  orders  for  detached  service,  and 
also  promotion.  The  term  of  my  service,  and  also 
Jed's,  was  about  to  expire.  Sergeant  Gruff  had 
made  application  to  be  put  on  detached  duty,  the 
details  of  which  he  kept  secret  from  us. 

JNIost  soldiers  are  anxious  for  a  discharge  from 
the  army  from  the  time  they  enlist  until  the  term 
of  enlistment  expires,  and  yet,  with  singular  incon- 
sistency, when  they  are  discharged  soon  tire  of  citi- 
zen freedom,  and  go  back  to  military  life. 

Serofeant  Gruff  had  tried  to  settle  down  as  a  citi- 
zen  several  times,  but  army  routine  and  habits  had 
become  almost  a  necessity  of  his  existence,  and  he 
was  always  glad  to  get  back  to  it.  Hence  he  divided 
the  world  into  two  classes,  soldiers  and  citizens, 
and  greatly  to  the  discredit  of  the  latter. 

When  we  asked  him  once  why  he  didn't  leave  the 


HOME  ONCE  MORE.  59 

army  he  replied,  "  Poys,  I've  peen  made  too  long 
to  pe  mate  over." 

One  evening,  while  discussing  our  prosj^ective 
citizenship,  the  old  sergeant  said,  "  Yat  vill  you  do 
mit  yourselves  after  you  gets  a  discharge?  " 

'^  Go  home,"  answered  both  Jed  and  myself  in  a 
breath. 

"  Vat  vill  you  do  there  ?  " 

I  replied,  "  I  shall  go  to  school." 

Jed  said,  '^  I  shall  get  me  a  little  store,  and  sell 
candy  and  peanuts  and  such  stuff." 

"  Humph  I  a  sutler,"  growled  Sergeant  Gruff  with 
a  sneer.  ''  You'd  petter  come  pack  and  enlist  mit 
your  company  again." 

We  finally  drew  our  pay,  were  mustered  out  of 
the  service,  and  were  "  free  and  independent  "  once 
more. 

On  the  morning  in  which  we  were  packed  and 
ready  for  home.  Sergeant  Gruff  made  his  appear- 
ance on  the  dock,  in  light  marching  order,  and  em- 
barked on  the  little  steamer,  en  roiLte  for  the  city 
with  us.  He  explained  his  conduct  by  saying  he 
had  been  assigned  to  recruiting  duty  in  Boston. 
"  My  poys,"  said  he,  ''  I  keeps  my  eyes  on  you,  to 
see  dot  you  ton't  fool  yourself  mit  mischief." 

Upon  our  arrival  in  Boston  we  were  accompanied 
to  the  Old  Colony  depot  by  Sergeant  Gruff,  who 
bade  us  an  affectionate  good-by,  saying,  — 

"I  come  to  see  you  some  dime,  youngsters.  Now 
ton't  go  into  mischief  too  far," 


60  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

As  we  alighted  from  the  cars  at  the  little  village 
of  Centerboro,  it  was  apparently  unchanged,  as  if 
we  had  left  it  but  yesterday.  We  recognized 
familiar  faces  in  the  streets  on  every  side,  but  no 
one  recognized  us. 

Jed,  accompanied  by  Mink,  went  in  search  of  a 
sister  living  on  another  road,  while  I  made  my  way 
across  the  fields  to  Aunt  Temperance's  home.  I 
knocked,  when  she  came  to  the  door  looking  not 
one  day  older  than  when  I  left  her  protection.  It 
was  some  time  before  she  could  understand  that  the 
strapping  young  man  at  her  door  was  the  perverse 
boy  who  had  revolted  at  her  discipline  four  years 
before. 

Her  welcome  was  as  unfeigned  and  hearty  as 
anything  I've  ever  known.  A  choking  sensation 
pervaded  her  speech,  and  tears  came  to  the  eyes  of 
the  little  woman  with  the  vigorous  hugging  she 
gave  me.  She  confided  to  me  that  during  my  ab- 
sence she  had  had  all  sorts  of  good  luck,  not  the 
least  of  which  was  that  a  relative  had  left  us,  by 
bequest,  several  hundred  dollars. 

That  afternoon  Jed  called  at  the  cottage.  When 
my  aunt  came  to  the  door  and  Mink  heard  her 
voice  he  gave  one  dazed  and  frightened  look,  and 
with  a  pathetic,  reproachful  glance  over  his  shoulder 
at  Jed,  scampered  away  Avith  his  tail  between  his 
legs,  as  if  he  would  say,  "  I  guess  I'll  be  excused 
from  visiting  her  again."  It  was  some  time  before 
he  could  be  coaxed  into  the  house,  so  vivid  an  im- 


HOME  ONCE  MORE.  61 

pression  had  his  last  visit  there  made  on  him. 
Aunt  Tempy  was  as  much  chagrined  at  this  as  we 
were  amused. 

"You  see,  ma'am,"  said  Jed  respectfully,  but 
with  a  humorous  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  Ave've  never 
talked  over  coming  home  with  Mink,  for  fear  he 
would  not  appreciate  its  advantages,  and  he  is  taken 
by  surprise ;  besides,  he  ain't  much  used  to  women." 

My  aunt  expressed  herself  as  very  much  surprised 
at  Jed's  manly  ways  and  improved  looks,  and  de- 
clared she  never  knew  any  one  so  much  benefited 
by  travel,  as  she  termed  it. 

Jed  had  not  been  able  to  find  any  of  his  relatives 
or  friends,  and  therefore  my  aunt  insisted  upon  his 
making  his  home  with  us.  Her  kindness  extended 
even  to  Mink.  A  happier  woman  than  Aunt  Tempy 
at  her  prodigal's  return  Avas  not  to  be  found  in  that 
town. 

When  it  was  learned  in  the  neighborhood  that  we 
had  returned,  and  had  participated  in  the  affair  at 
Sumter,  the  little  house  fairly  swarmed  with  visitors. 

My  aunt  fully  sympathized  with  my  desire  to 
gain  a  better  education,  and  tried  to  persuade  Jed, 
who  had  steadily  grown  in  her  favor,  also  to  take 
a  term  at  school. 

We  made  arrangements  to  attend  the  village 
academy,  and  my  aunt  soon  became  very  proud  of 
the  two  young  men  who  accompanied  her  to  church, 
sat  in  her  pew,  and  whom  she  introduced  to  the 
minister. 


62  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Politics  and  war  Avere  at  this  time  the  staple  of 
conversation;  and  Jed  and  I  talked  so  constantly 
about  Sergeant  Gruff,  that  my  aunt  asked  us  to 
invite  him  to  come  to  visit  us.  Hence  it  soon 
became  the  habit  of  the  old  sergeant  to  come  Sat- 
urday night  and  stay  over  Sunday  with  his  "  poys." 
The  old  soldier  admired  my  aunt  very  much. 

"  Py  Shorge,  poj^s,"  he  would  say,  "  vat  a  cap- 
tain she  vould  have  mate  if  she  had  been  porn  a 
man ! "  The  neatness  of  her  house  and  its  sur- 
roundings, and  glimpses  of  her  good  sense  in  man- 
agement, gave  him  an  exalted  opinion  of  her 
qualities. 

"  And  dot  leetle  voman  vipped  you  two  strapping 
poys  and  a  tog,  so  jovl  vrunned  away !  "  he  would 
say,  while  he  laughed  until  he  was  out  of  breath 
and  tears  came  to  his  eyes. 

We  were  studjdng  hard  in  school  when  an  unex- 
pected event,  which  we  shall  chronicle  in  another 
chapter,  gave  a  new  direction  to  our  thoughts  and 
life. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

IVIAKING  READY. 

^T^HE  defeat  of  the  Union  army  at  Bull  Run,  on 
-L  the  21st  of  July,  1861,  had  an  effect  on  the 
North  like  the  uj^heaval  of  an  earthquake.  The 
result  of  the  news  in  our  little  village  was  in  part 
grotesque.  The  whole  town,  or  at  least  the  male 
portion  of  it,  discussed  the  battle.  On  the  corners 
of  the  streets,  over  garden  walls,  and  in  the  mowing 
field,  it  was  again  fought  over  with  a  vigor  out  of 
proportion  to  the  military  knowledge  of  those  who 
discussed  it.  It  was  perhaps  well  for  the  country 
1ft  that  these  village  tacticians  and  strategists  mostly 
found  it  inconvenient  to  bring  their  knowledge  to 
a  more  bloody  field. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  du  with  them  seseshers 
down  on  the  Pot-a-mack?"  said  Silas  Eaton,  the 
shoemaker,  to  John  Warren,  a  sensible  and  solid 
farmer,  who  was  waiting  while  a  pair  of  shoes  were 
being  mended. 

"  Uncle  John,"  as  he  was  called,  was  a  magnifi- 
cent old  man,  and  very  deliberate  of  speech.  He 
replied,  — 

"  It  appears  to  me,  neighbor  Silas,  that  the  first 
thing  for  us  to  do,  is  to  learn  this  dreadful  trade  of 


64  JED'S  ADVEXTUBES. 

war,  so  as  to  know  it  better  than  tlie  people  wlio 
would  destroy  this  great  Union." 

The  old  man  spoke  earnesth%  and  there  was  a 
beautiful  flush  on  liis  grand  old  face,  as  if  he  were 
inclined,  notwithstanding  his  burden  of  threescore 
years,  to  learn  the  trade. 

"  Nonsense ! "  said.  Silas.  ''  If  that  old  fellow, 
General  McDowell,  hadn't  been  a  right-down  traitor, 
we  should  have  whipped  them  rebels.  Our  men 
fit  and  fit  and  fit,  and  our  folks  had  the  best  of  it 
tu,  until  the  rebels  brought  up  some  new  men,  and 
that  old  McDowell  let  um  do  it,  tu  !  "    . 

"  There  may  have  been  fault,"  responded  Uncle 
John,  "but  I  find  it  hard  to  manage  a  few  men  on 
my  farm,  so  that  they  will  do  the  work  according 
to  my  plans.  Perhaps  General  McDoAvell  experi- 
enced some  such  inconvenience  with  men  not 
learned  in  the  ways  of  war  I  " 

Silas  stopped  short  with  his  work,  and  began  with 
a  piece  of  chalk  on  a  side  of  sole  leather  to  demon- 
strate the  grand  strategy  which  should  have  won 
the  battle.  He  had  been  reading  a  popular  history 
of  Napoleon,  and  was  full  of  martial  absurchties. 

"  You  see,"  said  Silas,  "  McDowell  should  have 
formed  in  hollow  squares  and  received  'em  on  the 
pints  of  their  bayonets." 

"  Suppose  they  didn't  want  to  git  on  to  the  ends 
of  them  bayonets  ?  "  said  another  inquiringly. 

"Plague  take  you,"  said  Silas  angrily.  "You 
throw  cold  water  on  to  most  everything  !  " 


MAKING  REAbt,  65 

Silas's  manner  was  provokingly  confident,  as 
Uncle  John  stood  towering  above  him,  waiting  for 
his  shoes.  At  first  Uncle  John  looked  vexed,  and 
then,  as  if  struck  with  the  ludicrousness  of  the 
scene,  his  eyes  twinkled  humorously  as  he  inquired, 
''  How  long  did  it  take  you,  Silas,  to  learn  your 
trade  ?  " 

''Three  years,"  said  Silas,  resuming  liis  work, 
"and  I've  been  learninor  it  ever  since  and  hain't  crot 
it  learned  yet/' 

"Well,"  said  Uncle  John,  "it  would  probably 
take  you  as  long  to  learn  to  fight  battles  as  it  did 
to  make  and  mend  shoes." 

"  I  believe  my  senses.  Uncle  John,  you  are  a  rebel 
sympatliizer ! "  exclaimed  Silas,  now  thoroughly 
angry. 

This  was  not  an  uncommon  way,  at  that  time,  of 
meeting  arguments  wliich  tended  to  make  apparent 
the  fact  that  the  war  mio-ht  be  a  loner  one. 

Sergeant  Gruff,  in  his  occasional  visits,  was 
closely  questioned  by  our  townspeople.  The  old 
soldier  was  polite,  but  it  was  evident  to  those  who 
knew  him  well,  that  liis  contempt  of  citizens  grew 
with  each  interview. 

"  Dese  beople,"  said  the  old  sergeant,  "  dink 
dot  solchers  are  porn,  not  mate  by  study  and  dis- 
cipline and  di'ill." 

The  presence  of  the  sergeant  at  the  groceiy 
gatherings  repressed  in  part  the  disposition  of 
those  there  congregated  to  discuss  noisily  the  mill- 


ee  mb's  adventures. 

tary  situation,  but  it  did  not  prevent  their  ques- 
tioning him.  "How  long  will  the  war  last?" 
"Why  was  General  McDowell  defeated  ?  "  and  like 
questions  were  rapidly  propounded. 

"I  don't  know/'  responded  Sergeant  Gruff  to 
the  last  question,  "but  I  dink  the  men  marched 
too  far,  and  fought  too  long,  for  new  troops.  If 
they  had  had  a  goot  reserve  to  have  prought  up, 
they  vould  not  have  been  opliged  to  have  vrun 
away." 

"Why  can't  we  whip  these  fellers,  the  same  as 
General  Scott  did  the  Mexicans?"  they  asked. 

"Vy,"  said  the  sergeant  crisply,  "pecause  the 
men  dot  fight  us  are  shust  as  goot  men  as  ve  are !  " 

Thus  the  discussion  went  on ;  the  habit  of  na- 
tional glorification  on  one  hand  met  the  disposition 
to  be  practical  on  the  other,  and,  like  two  ocean  cur- 
rents meeting,  threw  the  placid  waters  of  ordinary 
village  life  into  commotion.  "  Thinking  bayonets," 
"intelligent  soldiers,"  were  expressions  much  in 
vogue  at  that  time.  Citizens  did  not  realize  that 
the  superiority  of  an  army  to  a  mob  was  not  in  its 
uniforms  and  feathers,  but  in  discipline,  and  the 
subordination  of  the  many  individual  wills  to  one. 

The  North  responded  grandly  to  the  call  to  arms, 
and  "  War  meetings  "  and  "  Flag  raisings  "  were 
the  common  means  of  attesting  their  patriotism ; 
and  whatever  may  be  said  against  the  North,  it 
must  always  be  conceded  that  it  was  stimulated 
more  by  its  defeats  than  by  its  victories. 


MAKING  READY,  67 

A  great  people,  absorbed  in  industrial  enterprise, 
interrupted  in  the  pursuits  of  peace,  was  impatient 
that  the  obstructions  of  war  should  be  speedily 
brushed  away. 

"They  are  going  to  raise  a  company  in  this 
town  to  go  to  the  war,"  said  William  Jones,  the 
blacksmith,  into  whose  shop  we  had  dropped  on 
our  way  from  school,  "  and  I'm  going  to  enlist." 

A  war  meeting  was  called,  and  speeches  were 
made  by  the  lawyer,  the  schoolmaster,  and  the 
minister.  Sergeant  Gruff  was  in  the  audience,  and 
was  called  on  for  a  speech.  The  old  sergeant,  in 
his  parade  coat  and  polished  brasses,  looked  every 
inch  a  soldier,  as  he  faced  the  audience,  and  in  his 
broken  English  said  a  few  earnest,  impressive 
words. 

"  I  have  fought  for  this  free  government  already 
through  one  war :  war  is  no  pastime ;  it  is  hard, 
bloody,  earnest  and  self-sacrificing  work,  for  one's 
country.  This  government  is  tlueatened  with  dis- 
memberment by  misguided  men,  and  the  nation 
calls  upon  her  sons  to  defend  her,  and  restore  the 
Union  of  States.  We  must  all  die  once,  and  it 
matters  not  so  much  when  we  die,  as  how  we  die, 
and  for  what  we  die.  We  can  make  this  war  short 
only  by  united  action  as  a  people,  and  by  consent- 
ing patiently  to  learn  the  discipline  of  soldiers ; 
for  discipline  is  the  moral  force  by  which  an  army 
exists,  and  is  able  to  conquer.  Discipline  gives 
direction  to  patriotism  and  bravery  and  noble  en- 


68  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

thusiasm,  and  without  the  power  gained  thereby, 
all  is  wasted." 

This  speech,  the  substance  of  which  we  give, 
made  a  good  impression  ;  and,  after  a  few  eloquent 
but  less  practical  speeches,  there  was  a  call  for  vol- 
unteers. A  score  of  men  responded  by  soberly 
dedicating  themselves  to  their  country's  service. 

The  resolution  of  myself  and  Jed  not  to  enlist 
at  that  time  was  severely  tried,  for  though  we  had 
a  natural  desire  to  add  our  names  to'  those  already 
enrolled,  we  had  promised  Sergeant  Gruff  to  con- 
sult him  before  we  enlisted.  My  Aunt  Tempy  was 
very  patriotic  where  other  people's  relations  were 
concerned,  but  she  did  not  express  an  equally  fer- 
vent desire  to  have  me  die  a  soldier's  death.  So 
Jed  and  myself  still  remained  at  the  Academy. 

The  day  of  our  enlistment  was  not  to  be  long 
postponed.  Sergeant  Gruff,  whose  term  of  service 
in  the  regular  army  had  now  expired,  was  mustered 
out,  and,  at  the  very  earnest  solicitation  of  the 
colonel  of  the  regiment  being  formed,  was  made 
captain  of  a  company  raised  in  our  village. 

As  it  was  common  at  this  stage  of  the  war,  to 
promote  men  to  military  positions  for  their  marked 
popularity  rather  than  their  military  ability,  and 
as  officers  often  occupied  positions  which  they  did 
not  fill,  but  simply  rattled  around  in,  there  was  a 
certain  flavor  of  unpopularity  in  the  appointment 
of  Gruff.  The  service  often  suffered  from  similar 
causes  in  the  months  following. 


MAKING  READY.  69 

Charles  Weston,  the  son  of  our  village  lawyer, 
had  been  an  applicant  for  this  captaincy;  and, 
although  he  had  neither  military  knowledge  nor 
experience,  he  was  sore  because  he  had  failed  in 
his  ambition. 

During  our  stay  in  camp  he  was,  however,  very 
popular,  having  the  talents  of  an  actor  in  an  emi- 
nent degree.  He  could  imitate  the  gestures,  voice, 
and  manner  of  any  village  character  to  perfection, 
and  had  also  acquired  the  talent  of  making-uj),  to 
use  a  theatre  phrase,  and  took,  therefore,  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  camp  theatricals  with  which  we 
occasionally  amused  ourselves. 

The  defeat  at  Bull  Run  had  led  to  a  more  careful 
selection  of  officers ;  for  that  battle  proved  that, 
though  a  man  may  be  a  good  fellow,  he  may  at  the 
same  time  prove  to  be  a  very  poor  officer.  Besides 
this,  the  colonel,  who  had  some  military  training, 
had  faith  in  Sergeant  Gruff's  ability  to  make  good 
some  of  his  own  deficiencies  in  military  knowledge, 
and  thus  urged  his  promotion.  The  sergeant  was 
far  from  knowing  these  facts,  or  he  would  not  have 
accepted  the  position. 

It  was  a  wise  choice,  however,  and  Sergeant  Gruff 
began  at  once  the  thankless  work  of  making  soldiers 
from  citizens. 

Human  nature  does  not  readily  adjust  itself  to 
the  unnatural  grooves  of  military  life,  and  men  long 
accustomed  to  self-direction  do  not  quickly  submit 
with  unquestioning  obedience  to  military  exactions. 


70  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

He,  however,  soon  taught  his  commissioned  and 
under  officers  the  necessity  of  forming  strict  mill 
tary  habits,  and  inspired  them  with  a  pride  to  excel 
in  the  manual  of  arms  and  in  company  evolutions. 

As  he  experienced  great  difficulty  in  finding  among 
the  volunteers,  men  fit  to  teach  properly  the  rudi- 
ments, such  as  the  manual  of  arms  and  the  facings, 
and  as  he  could  not  attend  personally  to  the  task, 
he  constantly  called  Jed  and  myself  to  his  assist- 
ance as  drill-masters  of  squads,  —  duties  for  which 
we  were  very  well  qualified. 

We  soon  became  favorites  among  the  young  men 
of  the  company,  and  as  the  consequence  of  this  asso- 
ciation felt  a  great  desire  to  belong  to  that  par- 
ticular company.  So,  notwithstanding  my  aunt's 
entreaty  and  Captain  Gruff's  earnest  remonstrance, 
which  was  prompted  more  by  a  desire  to  please  the 
"lee tie  voman"  than  from  any  real  desire  to  thwart 
us,  we  soon  enlisted. 

The  captain  comforted  my  aunt  by  saying,  "  Veil, 
Miss  Tempy,  I  can  take  petter  care  of  dem  poys 
dan  any  von  else,  and  so  dey  had  j)etter  go  mit 
me."  As  it  was  evident  to  her  that  she  could  not 
keep  me  long  at  home,  and  as  she  had  no  other 
motive  in  influencing  Jed  than  to  influence  me,  she 
reluctantly  consented,  saying  that  she  preferred 
having  me  go  with  a  good  man  like  Mr.  Gruff 
than  with  any  other.  At  this  compliment  Captain 
Gruff  winked,  as  if  my  aunt  were  deluded  in  re- 
gard to  his  goodness,  but  that   he  was  Avilling  to 


"It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  the  old  soldier  dreamily  smoking 
liis  pipe."  —  Page  71. 


MAKING  READY.  71 

suffer  her  favorable  opinions  rather  than  contradict 
her. 

The  old  sergeant  was  noticeably  improved.  He 
spent  many  of  his  evenings  at  my  aunt's ;  sometimes 
reading  from  a  favorite  book,  but  more  often  regard- 
ing Miss  TemjDy's  deft  housekeeping  with  silent 
admiration.  He  attended  church  with  us  regularly, 
and  sometimes  the  weekly  prayer-meeting,  and 
completely  shunned  bar-room  associations.  It  was 
a  fine  sight  to  see  the  old  soldier  dreamily  smoking 
his  pipe  in  the  afternoon,  while  Mink  lay  on  his 
knees  asleep,  and  Jed  read  the  newspaper,  and  my 
aunt,  in  her  trim  dress  and  white  apron,  spread  the 
supper  table  under  the  honeysuckles  of  the  wide 
veranda. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  the  old  soldier  to  Jed  one  even- 
ing, on  his  way  to  the  post-office,  "  if  I  vas  a  younger 
man  and  a  petter  von,  and  der  vas  no  war,  and  Miss 
Temperance  was  still  a  single  voman  "  —  and  here 
the  old  soldier  blushed  to  the  tip  of  his  nose,  and 
left  his  conclusion  unfinished. 

Squire  Weston  was  a  neighbor,  and  a  member  of 
the  same  church  we  attended.  Since  my  aunt  had 
come  into  possession  of  some  money,  he  had  advised 
her  regarding  its  investment,  and  sometimes  visited 
at  the  house  when  Captain  Gruff  was  present.  As 
my  aunt  was  still  a  young  woman  and  the  squire 
was  a  widower,  the  gossip  among  the  neighbors  was 
that  the  squire  would  not  be  adverse  to  making  her 
Mrs.  Weston.     Though  I  doubt  if   Miss  Tempy 


7^  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

ever  heard  the  gossip,  or  cast  a  thought  in  this  di- 
rection, yet  the  squire's  interest  in  her  material  and 
spiritual  welfare  seemed  constantly  on  the  increase. 

The  squire  was  what  the  villagers  termed  "  fore- 
handed," and  one  who  kept  a  bright  lookout  ahead 
for  his  worldly  chances.  Though  rumor  said  he 
had  foreclosed  morto-ao^es  under  circumstances  that 
might  be  called  sharj),  yet  he  was  generally  esteemed 
honest,  and  also  a  good  citizen. 

Whether  the  squire  liked  to  hear  himself  talk 
better  than  the  soldier,  or  whether  he  disapproved 
of  his  conversation,  I  do  not  laiow;  but  it  was  ob- 
servable that  when  Captain  Gruff  was  holding  forth, 
as  he  did  sometimes,  on  the  duty  of  able-bodied  men 
to  serve  their  country  in  her  hour  of  need,  the  squire 
would  get  up  and  go  out,  while  my  aunt  was  often 
so  intent  upon  listening  to  Captain  Gruff  that  a  half 
hour  would  sometimes  elapse  before  she  would  no- 
tice his  absence.  The  squire  said  nothing  against 
Captain  Gruff,  but  he  said  much  against  the  habits 
of  smoking  and  drinking,  and  observed  that  men 
were  seldom  of  good  Christian  conduct  who  had 
been  trained  in  the  army. 

My  aunt,  who  regarded  Captain  Gruff  as  a  model 
of  goodness,  and  never  seemed  to  think  that  this 
talk  had  a  bearing  on  the  old  soldier's  character,  had, 
previous  to  my  enlistment,  used  the  deacon's  ideas 
to  dissuade  me  from  again  entering  the  service. 

Once,  when  she  hinted  to  the  old  soldier  that  he 
might  resign  and  let  some  younger  man  take  his 


MAKING  READY.  73 

place,  the  captain's  cheek  flushed  as  he  replied, 
"  Dis  country  is  my  country,  and  neets  men  of  ex- 
perience to  tirect  and  teach  young  men  to  fight  its 
patties.  I  have  not  always  been  a  goot  man,  but 
it  vould  not  be  prave  nor  manly  to  desert  my  coun- 
try at  dis  dime."  The  old  sergeant,  who  had  begun 
harshly  and  in  anger,  now  softened  his  voice  as  he 
said,  — 

"  I  do  not  vish  you  to  tink  me  so  mean  a  man  as 
to  serve  in  dimes  of  peace,  and  stays  at  home  ven 
de  war  comes  and  my  country  neets  me.  Ah  I  Miss 
Tempy,  if  I  vas  a  petter  man  "  —  here  he  turned 
away,  and  left  some  brooding  thought  or  emotion 
unuttered.  What  my  aunt's  thoughts  were  I  know 
not,  but  after  this  she  treated  Captain  Gruff  Avith 
even  more  deference  and  respect  than  before. 

In  a  few  wrecks  the  regimental  organization  was 
completed,  and  every  evening  the  villagers  gathered 
to  see  the  dress-parade  at  the  encampment  near  the 
toAvn. 

A  few  Sundays  before  the  regiment  was  to  leave 
for  the  front,  our  company  was  invited  to  attend 
religious  services  at  the  church.  The  sermon  was 
an  eloquent  one,  and  discoursed  of  the  duties  of 
citizens  to  God  and  the  State.  On  many  this  left 
a  good  impression,  but  on  none  was  it  so  lasting  as 
on  Jed,  with  whom  it  was  destined  to  be  followed  by 
still  deeper  experiences,  which  influenced  his  whole 
character,  and  made  him  a  sincere,  though  not  de- 
monstrative, Christian. 


74  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

After  inspection  and  drill  and  dress-parade  had 
worn  threadbare  the  thin  patience  of  these  early 
volunteers,  they  were  at  last  summoned  to  the 
front.  It  was  a  singular  contradiction  in  human 
nature,  that  those  most  impatient  to  be  called  to 
the  front  were  soon  among  those  most  eager  to  get 
home  again. 

All  was  bustle  and  confusion  when  the  regiment 
got  its  marching  orders.  There  were  tears  on  old 
faces  and  young.  Mothers  said  good-by  to  beard- 
less boys ;  wives  to  husbands ;  sisters  to  brothers  ; 
and  the  bright,  sunny  faces  of  unthinking  or  of  un- 
heeding youth  were  for  the  moment  clouded  and 
wet  with  tears,  as  they  said  parting  words,  marched 
to  the  cars,  and  were  off  to  the  war. 

Many  of  these  young  men  never  returned  to  their 
homes,  but  fell  in  defence  of  the  nation  to  wliich 
they  unselfishly  dedicated  their  lives.  Some  went 
down  in  the  front  of  battle,  some  died  on  the  march, 
others  in  hospitals  or  in  prison. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

VOLXnSTTEERS   IN    WASHINGTON. 

/^N  our  route  to  Washington  we  received  many 
^^  flattering  attentions.  Men,  women,  and 
children  were  gathered  at  the  raih^oad  stations, 
and  upon  our  arrival,  as  well  as  departure,  we  were 
greeted  with  cheers,  waving  of  handkerchiefs,  and 
other  patriotic  demonstrations.  Had  we  eaten  all 
the  food  pressed  upon  us  we  should  have  never 
reached  Washington  alive,  but  have  died  of  a  sur- 
feit or  of  indigestion,  such  was  the  disposition  to 
feast  us. 

We  had  taken  the  boat  at  New  London,  en  route 
for  New  York,  when  I  met  with  an  encounter  that 
reads  like  an  invention.  I  had  selected  a  sleeping- 
berth,  and  was  fairly  in  possession  and  composing 
myself  to  sleep,  when  the  curtain  was  rudely  pushed 
aside,  and  a  familiar  voice  exclaimed,  ''  And  moight 
I  ask  who  is  so  koind  as  to  be  occupying  me  berth  ?  " 

I  astonished  the  intruder  in  turn  by  snatching  his 
hat  from  his  head  and  exclaiming,  "  If  you  don't 
keep  out  of  here.  Corporal  O'Keif,  I'll  di'um  a  tattoo 
on  your  head." 

''  And  be  George !  I  never  had  anything  this 
youngster  didn't  manage  to  get  into,"  exclaimed 

15 


76  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

the  corporal,  with  an  evident  relish  of  the  situation. 
At  this  instant  Jed  stuck  his  head  out  of  the 
berth  below  mine,  and,  catching  the  corporal  by 
the  leg,  with  a  shrill  wliistle,  peculiar  to  himself 
and  familiar  to  the  corporal,  exclaimed  in  droll  imi- 
tation of  O'Keif's  tones,  "And  sure,  here's  them 
plaguy  byes  again !  " 

The  climax  was  reached  when  Captain  Gruff, 
awakened  by  the  noise,  protruded  his  head  from  a 
neighboring  berth,  and  recognizing  the  voice  of  his 
former  subordinate,  and  forgetting  his  surroundings, 
cried  out  in  his  sternest  tones,  — 

"  O'Keif,  go  to  your  quarters,  and  don't  keep  dis 
garrison  avake  all  night  mit  yer  fooling." 

The  doughty  corporal,  though  surprised  at  this 
encounter,  was  glad  to  see  us  again,  as  we  were  to 
meet  liim  in  this  odd  manner. 

O'Keif,  with  many  original  Irish  flourishes,  told 
us  that  he  and  others  of  the  1st  Artillery  had  been 
campaigning  with  Patterson's  command,  in  the 
Shenandoah  Yalle}^ ;  and  that,  as  his  time  of  service 
had  expired  a  month  previous,  he  had  been  making 
use  of  his  liberty  to  visit  friends  in  Connecticut, 
but  was  now  returning  to  his  old  command  with 
the  purpose  of  again  re-enlisting.  Before  we 
reached  New  York  he  was,  however,  persuaded  to 
take  a  first  sergeant's  position  in  another  company 
of  our  regiment.  Thus  were  brought  together  once 
more  some  of  the  dramatis  per  807ice  of  this  narrative. 

Upon  our   arrival   in   New   York   we  marched 


VOLUNTEERS  IN   WASHINGTON.  77 

through  its  crowded  streets,  our  measured  tread 
and  swaying  bodies  keeping  time  to  the  new  and 
stirring  lyric,  ''  John  Brown's  body  lies  a  moulder- 
ing." Enthusiastic  cheers,  waving  flags,  and  shouts 
of  congratulation  and  greeting  were  heard  on  every 
side. 

"  If  every  man  here  doesn't  feel  himself  a  hero, 
it  isn't  because  they  don't  treat  him  as  if  he 
were,"  said  Jed,  who  "touched  elbows"  with  me. 

When  arrived  at  Philadelphia  we  were  feasted 
at  the  Cooper  Shop  Restaurant,  and  waited  on  by 
young  ladies  who  were  so  attentive  to  our  wants, 
and  so  beautiful  in  their  enthusiasm,  that  we  left 
that  hosi^itable  and  patriotic  city  with  regret. 
Though  several  of  our  regiment  stimulaterl  their 
enthusiasm  artificially,  the  majority  arrived  in 
Washington  in  good  order,  notwithstanding  the 
natural  and  unnatural  heat  of  their  patriotism. 

We  were  assigned  on  our  arrival  to  the  cramped 
and  somewhat  dirty  barracks  of  the  "Soldiers'  Re- 
treat," near  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  depot. 

The  city  of  Washington,  at  this  time  in  its  his- 
tory, was  one  of  surprising  contrasts.  The  beauty 
of  its  public  buildings  was  in  striking  contrast  to 
the  tumble-down,  shanty-like  appearance  of  most 
of  its  private  edifices,  and  the  dirtiness  of  its  side- 
walks and  streets. 

The  numerous  hogs  on  duty  as  scavengers  wore 
a  grieved  and  hopeless  look  on  their  elongated 
faces,  as  if  their  duties  were  too  much  for  them. 


78  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

A  few  mornings  after  this  we  went  into  camp 
near  Washington.  Here  the  process  of  making 
soldiers  from  citizens  began  in  earnest.  Men  ac- 
customed to  self-direction  did  not  readily  submit 
to  being  made  over  in  the  military  image.  Accus- 
tomed to  working  each  day  for  some  definite  and 
immediate  result,  the  constant  drill  and  never-end- 
ing round  of  camp  duties,  so  essential  to  the  forma- 
tion of  military  habits,  seemed  to  them  intolerable 
foolishness.  The  necessity  of  being  punctual  in 
all  duties  was  but  little  appreciated  by  these  raw 
volunteer  soldiers  of  1861. 

Roll  call  was  at  six  o'clock,  and  punishment  was 
meted  out  for  delays.  This  was  followed  by  the 
breakfast  call  a  half  hour  later,  where  the  men  were 
required  to  form  in  line  with  their  tin  plates  and 
drinking-cups,  or,  failing  therein,  go  without  their 
breakfast.  Why  not  happen  into  the  cook-house  at 
their  own  convenience  ?  Tliis  seemed  a  cruel  and 
needless  exaction. 

If  a  pass  Avere  granted  a  soldier,  he  must  return 
before  its  expiration  or  be  punished.  For  small 
offences  he  did  penance  in  the  guard-house,  where 
he  sawed  wood ;  or  he  swept  the  parade  ground 
under  direction  of  the  guard.  Our  colonel  at  first 
punished  men  by  placing  them  on  barrels,  Avhere 
they  stood  for  hours  like  groups  of  statuary.  At 
other  camps  men  were  to  be  seen  withdogs  chained 
to  them  for  breach  of  discipline.  Captain  Gruff 
had   remonstrated  against    such    punishments   as 


VOLUNTEERS  IN  WASHINGTON.  79 

unmilitary,  and  the}^  were  abandoned  in  our  regi- 
ment. 

Passes  to  visit  Washington  proved  demoralizing, 
and  at  Captain  Gruff's  suggestion  were  no  longer 
granted  to  members  of  our  company.  This  made 
the  captain  very  unpopular.  Disorderly  men  who 
had  broken  rules,  and  had  been  punished  with  in- 
flexible rigor,  wrote  home  heaping  abuse  on  Captain 
Gruff.  Among  the  loudest  of  these  growlers  was 
Sergeant  Weston.  He  did  not  take  either  kindly  or 
naturally  to  discipline  or  drill,  and  though  he  had 
been  indebted  to  Captain  Gruff  for  direction  and 
suggestion  in  the  performance  of  his  military  duties, 
yet  he  did  not  hate  him  less,  but  more,  for  these 
favors.  The  result  was  that  Captain  Gruff,  like 
many  other  strict  military  men  of  this  j>eriod,  be- 
came unpopular  in  camp  and  at  home. 

As  the  winter  months  came  on  we  began  to  get 
ready  for  winter  quarters.  The  sides  of  our 
huts  were  built  of  logs  with  A  tents  for  roofs. 
The  cliimneys  were  of  sticks  cemented  with  mud, 
though  a  flour  or  pork  barrel  often  in  part  took 
the  place  of  the  stick  chimney.  The  floor  was  of 
clay,  pounded  level  and  hard.  Two  bunks  raised 
from  the  ground  on  either  side,  with  a  rough  table 
and  a  few  seats,  made  very  comfortable  Avinter 
quarters.  During  the  construction  of  these  huts, 
drill  and  guard  duty  were  omitted. 

The  diill  and  discipline  of  the  army  at  this  time 
were  not  thrown  away  as  many  suppose,  but  were 


80  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

the  welding  force  which  afterwards  enabled  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  sustain  the  continued  shock 
of  battle,  and  preserve  its  morale  and  efficiency  in 
defeat.     It  takes  time  to  make  an  army. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  newspapers  and 
citizens  did  not  think  these  preparations  needful, 
and  grew  impatient  at  our  delay  to  move  on  the 
enemy  and  end  the  war ! 

They  inquired  impatiently,  "  Why  don't  the 
army  move  ?  " 

If  these  interrogating  growlers  of  1861  and  '62 
had  been  marched  with  a  moderate  allowance  of 
personal  baggage  from  Washington  to  Hall's  Hill 
or  Fairfax  Court-House,  they  would  have  speedily 
got  an  answer  in  the  glue-like  tenacity  with  which 
their  feet  clung  to  the  mud,  and  the  mud  clung  to 
their  feet.  This  gulf  of  Virginia  mud  between  us 
and  the  enemy  proved  a  Jericho  of  strength  more 
effective  than  all  the  wooden  guns  of  the  in- 
trenchments  of  Manassas,  and  which  all  the  rams' 
horns  of  the  public  press  and  opinion  were  impotent 
to  overthrow. 

O'Keif  was  a  man  who  had  been  thoroughly 
drilled  in  the  regular  service,  and  had  acted  as 
drill  master  therein ;  yet  he  fell  in  the  esteem  of 
the  company  because  he  was,  as  they  termed  it,  so 
fussy ;  he  was  constantly  adjusting  the  position  of 
their  hands  on  the  muskets,  and  of  their  feet,  and 
the  position  of  each  man  on  drill.  This  unpopu- 
larity found  echoes  at  home.     One  day  I  received 


VOLUNTEERS  IN   WASHINGTON.  81 

a  letter  from  my  aunt,  and  as  letters  similar  in 
spirit  were  constantly  written  to  men  in  the  army 
I  give  herewith  a  copy. 

My  dear  Dick  :  —  The  letters  you  send  to  me  are  grate- 
fully received,  and  also  tlie  money,  which  I  put  in  the  bank 
for  you,  my  dear  boy ;  I  would  like  to  see  you  so  much. 
Squire  Weston  has  advised  me  to  invest  the  money  1  have  in 
Western  railroad  bonds,  though  I  have  not  placed  it  in  his 
hands.  He  has  also  advised  me  to  mortgage  my  little  place 
and  putthemoney  in  these  bonds.  It  seems  a  good  invest- 
ment. What  do  you  think  about  it  ?  It  seems  to  me  safe,  for 
the  Squire  is  such  a  good  man,  and  is  certainly  a  safe  ad- 
viser. Give  my  love  to  Jed  and  my  regards  to  Captain  Gruff. 
I  have  sent  you  a  box  of  good  things  to  eat,  and  IMary 
Weston  has  put  in  a  needle-book  and  a  Testament  for  Jed. 
Your  aftectionate  aunt, 

Temperance  Xickerson. 

p.  S.  — Please  tell  Lieutenant  Weston  that  his  Aunt  Lydia 
says  get  some  campliire  for  his  headaches  and  stomach.  I 
hope  you  get  enough  to  eat.  Is  it  true  that  Captain  Gruff 
drinks  lager  beer,  as  they  say  he  does  here  ? 

T.  N. 

P.  S.  —  I  hope  it  is  not  true  that  Captain  Gruff  swears  at 
the  men  of  his  company,  or  that  he  is  very  hard  and  tyranni- 
cal with  them,  as  it  is  rumored  here  he  is. 

Your  aunt, 

T.N. 

P.  S.  —  Why  don't  the  army  go  over  to  Richmond  and 

take  the  rebels  prisoners  and  end  the  war  ?    Don't  eat  the 

cheese  all  up  at  one  time.     I  have  put  into  the  box  some 

tobacco  for  Captain  GrufTs  pipe.     I  hope  it  won't  get  into 

the  butter  or  the  frosted  cake, 

Y'ours, 

T.  X. 


82  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Mary  Weston  of  whom  my  aunt  wrote  was  the 
belle  of  the  village,  and  both  Jed  and  I  had  paid 
her  some  attention  while  at  home.  I  read  this  let- 
ter of  my  aunt's  to  Captain  Gruff,  and  he  turned 
red  with  rage  and  exclaimed,  — 

"  Dot  leetle  voman  vill  lose  all  her  money,  foolin' 
it  into  the  hands  of  that  bald-heated  old  squire. 
I  shall  writes  her  some  tings  myself."  What  he 
wrote  I  did  not  know,  but  suspect  he  told  her 
bluntly  his  suspicions  ;  and  he  must  have  spoken 
very  plainly,  as  Gruff  had  a  soldier's  directness,  and 
was  never  inclined  to  mince  matters. 

My  aunt  did  not  answer  liis  letter,  which  was  her 
way  of  saying  nothing  she  needed  to  mend,  and  at 
the  same  time  showing  her  displeasure. 

The  army  encamped  around  Washington  in  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1862  Avas  now  about  to  move. 
General  Banks  had  crossed  the  Potomac  into  Vir- 
ginia by  the  way  of  Harper's  Ferry.  And  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  boldly  marched  through 
thick  and  thin  of  mud  to  Manassas  ;  and  then,  find- 
ing the  enemy  had  abandoned  his  defences  there, 
marched  back  to  Washington  again,  covered  with 
more  mud  than  glory. 


<9 
CHAPTER  IX. 

ON   THE   PENINSULA. 

rj^HE  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  at  last  ready  to 
-*-  make  a  decisive  movement  against  the  enemy. 
Huge  steamers,  tugs,  and  sailing  vessels,  barges, 
and  even  canal  boats,  thronged  the  adjacent  waters 
of  Washington  and  Alexandria.  Marching  orders 
came  at  last,  and,  leaving  our  comfortable  winter 
quarters  regretfully,  we  marched  through  Washing- 
ton and  embarked  on  a  steamer.  We  dropped  down 
the  Potomac,  and  the  spires  and  domes  of  Wash- 
ington and  Alexandria  soon  faded  away  in  the  blue 
haze  of  the  early  morning  light. 

The  little  steamer  throbbed  its  way  down  the 
river  into  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  second  day  our  regiment  landed  at  Fort  Mon- 
roe, on  old  Point  Comfort,  at  the  western  point  of 
that  peninsula  formed  by  the  York  and  James 
rivers.  This  was  the  first  step  of  the  army  in  what 
is  called  the  Peninsula  campaign,  and  its  convey- 
ance by  water  to  this  place,  over  two  hundred  miles 
from  Washington,  was  an  enterprise  of  such  colos- 
sal magnitude  that  a  foreign  critic  has  called  it 
"  the  step  of  a  giant." 

This  vast  army  and  its  material  can  scarcely  be 
83 


84  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

conceived  of  by  the  boys  of  this  generation,  for  an 
army  is  composed  not  only  of  its  fighting  men,  but 
of  thousands  of  others.  There  are  orderlies,  offi- 
cers' servants,  cooks,  drivers  of  baggage  wagons 
and  trains,  besides  telegraph  mechanics  and  appa- 
ratus, blacksmiths,  saddlers,  farriers,  and  pontoon- 
iers  or  bridge-builders,  and  engineers.  Hundreds 
of  tons  of  gunpowder,  shot,  shell,  and  cartridges, 
as  well  as  huge  siege  guns,  trains  of  forty-four  bat- 
teries, trains  of  ambulances,  telegraph  trains,  bridge 
trains,  baggage  trains,  and,  above  all,  trains  of  food 
for  the  subsistence  of  the  army.  The  animals  alone 
for  this  army  were  nearly  fifteen  thousand  in  num- 
ber, which  shows  something  of  its  magnitude,  and 
the  enormous  equipage  required  by  it. 

A  military  writer  says  that  an  army,  like  a  serpent, 
moves  only  on  its  belly.  This  is  but  a  quaint  way 
of  saying  that  an  army  can  exist  and  advance  upon 
an  enemy  only  as  it  has  the  means  of  feeding  itself. 
Whatever,  therefore,  stops  or  delays  this  food  sup- 
ply endangers  or  destroys  an  army.  Hence  to  keep 
open  its  base  of  supplies  in  protecting  the  road  to 
it,  so  the  enemy  cannot  reach  it,  complicates  all  its 
operations.  An  army,  cut  off  by  the  enemy  from 
its  base  of  supplies,  is  like  a  man  trying  to  eat  while 
his  throat  is  in  the  grip  of  an  enemy. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  Lee's  armj^  before  Rich- 
mond, when  Grant  seized  the  last  railroad  communi- 
cating with  its  supplies,  and  such  was  the  condition 
of  the  army  under  Lord  Cornwallis  when  it  sur- 


ON  THE  PENINSULA.  85 

rendered  at  Yorktown,  on  the  same  peninsula  which 
we  were  about  to  invade. 

Keeping  open  its  lines  of  communication  for  the 
feeding  of  an  army  while  operating  before  an  enemy 
is,  therefore,  an  all-important  consideration  for  its 
commander. 

It  was  the  material  and  food  for  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  which  was  being  landed  at  Old  Point 
Comfort,  the  western  terminus  of  that  peninsula, 
fifty  miles  in  length,  wliich  this  vast  army  was  to 
travel. 

It  was  a  scene  of  seeming  confusion,  but  of  real 
order,  and  every  movement  was  planned  by  a  mas- 
ter-hand. Our  company  crossed  a  bridge  near 
where  this  landing  was  taking  place,  and  then, 
passing  the  chimney  stacks  and  blackened  remains 
of  the  village  of  Hampton,  took  up  its  quarters  in 
an  open  field  beyond. 

Our  first  procedure  was  to  pitch  our  tents. 
This  was  done  b}'  buttoning  together  four  or  more 
squares  of  canvas  about  a  yard  and  a  half  wide, 
one  of  which  was  carried  by  each  infantry  soldier. 
This  canvas  shanty  was  often  used  as  a  roof  over 
side  walls  of  sod  or  cla}^,  or,  as  at  this  time,  pieces 
of  rails,  with  mud  plastered  over  the  crevices,  and 
earth  heaped  against  the  outside.  Here  four  or 
five,  according  to  the  number  who  contributed 
each  a  square  of  this  tent,  made  their  abiding- 
place  in  the  field.  This  was  distinguished  from 
the  A  tent  used  by  soldiers  at  more   permanent 


86  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

camping-places  by  being  sarcastically  called  a  dog- 
tent.  At  first  the  soldiers  felt  as  if  they  were 
treated  like  dogs  in  having  to  use  them,  but  their 
convenience  proved  so  great  as  to  cause  them  to 
be  put  into  general  use  in  future  campaigns. 

When  this  part  of  our  work  had  been  attended 
to,  we  proceeded  to  cook  breakfast.  Our  haver- 
sacks, made  of  canvas,  were  shaped  like  large 
letter  envelopes,  about  sixteen  inches  square,  and 
were  suspended  from  the  shoulders  by  a  band. 
At  tliis  time  mine  contained  a  tin  plate,  a  knife 
and  fork,  a  piece  of  pork,  about  twenty  squares  of 
hard  bread,  some  sugar  and  ground  coffee  mixed 
together ;  also  a  little  salt  and  pepper  in  a  paper. 
On  the  outside  of  the  haversack  was  fastened,  by 
its  strap,  a  tin  quart  cup  used  for  drinking  or  for 
cooking  coffee.  Occasionally  a  canteen  would  be 
used  for  carrying  molasses,  but  this  was  usually 
the  receptacle  for  coffee  or  water.  From  these 
haversacks  were  taken  the  ingredients  for  a  break- 
fast. Osgood  (the  company  cook  when  in  more 
permanent  camps),  Sutherland,  a  young  fellow  of 
seventeen,  Jed,  and  myself,  formed  our  squares 
into  a  tent,  and  then  proceeded  to  cook  breakfast. 
First,  making  a  &e  of  fence -rails,  without  trou- 
bling ourselves  to  cut  them,  we  soaked  our  hard 
bread  in  water,  and  then,  frying  our  pork  in  a 
small  frying-pan,  put  the  soaked  hard  bread  into 
this  pan,  and  added  a  little  molasses  to  give  it  a 
flavor,  as  Osgood  said.     This  concoction  was  called 


ON  THE  PENINSULA.  87 

by  some  "son  of  a  gun,"  and  by  others  a  name 
more  sulphureous. 

While  this  was  being  done,  our  coffee  was  put 
in  position  to  be  cooked.  The  long-extending  mils 
with  which  our  fire  was  made,  resembled  a  grand- 
father-long-legs (with  the  fire  and  frying-pan  for 
his  body).  This  extension  of  material  caused  us 
a  mishap  which  nearly  cost  us  our  breakfast. 

Jed  was  bringing  fuel,  when  some  one  shouted, 
''  Jed,  Jed  I  "  whereupon  he  turned,  and  his  rails, 
coming  in  contact  with  several  heads,  levelled 
them  to  the  ground.  One  of  these  victims,  in 
dodging  further  damages,  stumbled  against  the 
ends  of  the  burning  rails,  overturned  our  cof- 
fee, and  seriously  disturbed  our  frying-pan  and 
fire. 

The  breakfast  beinor  cooked  it  was  distributed  in 
our  four  tin  plates,  and  was  eaten  while  we  were 
seated  on  our  rubber  blankets.  It  is  almost  need- 
less to  say,  many  more  pretentious  meals  are  eaten 
with  less  relish  than  was  ours.  Hundreds  of  men 
around  us  were  similarly  engaged.  Here  one,  more 
hungry  than  particular,  held  slices  of  pork  over 
the  fire,  on  a  sharpened  stick  or  the  rammer  of 
his  gun,  until  the  pork  was  shrivelled  and  black- 
ened, and  then  ate  it  with  his  hard-tack  and 
coffee.  Others  made  a  still  more  simple  morning 
meal  of  hard-tack,  between  two  squares  of  which 
was  a  slice  of  raw  pork,  perhaps  deluged  with 
molasses. 


88  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

After  breakfast  came  guard  mounting,  and  the 
consequent  grumbling  of  men  assigned  to  that 
duty ;  in  the  evening  dress  parade,  rather  informal 
(at  which  white  gloves  were  superfluous)  ;  and  roll 
call.  The  parade  was  formed  and  dismissed.  Taps ; 
and  all  sounds  in  camp  were  suppressed,  and  the 
army  of  over  a  hundred  thousand  men  slept  to  the 
measured  tread  of  its  sentinels,  the  call  of  its 
grand  I'ounds,  and  the  angry  protest  of  its  miles 
of  hungry  mules. 

On  the  morrow  we  begin  the  march  up  the  Pe- 
ninsula, with  green  grass  beneath  our  feet,  the  sky 
clear,  and  the  balm  of  spring  in  the  air.  The 
march  of  an  army  is  apparently  an  inextricable 
confusion.  The  order  is  route  step,  and  the  arms 
are  carried  at  will.  The  baggage  wagons,  pontoon 
trains,  and  artillery  seem  thorouglily  mixed  with 
the  infantry  and  mud. 

We  had  not  marched  far  before  the  hitherto 
cloudless  sky  was  overspread  with  clouds,  the 
rain  began  to  fall,  the  soil  became  more  and  more 
like  hasty-pudding  in  its  consistency,  and  worry- 
ing in  its  suction  and  stickiness.  The  marching 
soldiers  Avere  drenched  with  rain,  and  wearily 
trod  Virginia  mud,  with,  as  Jed  expressed  it, 
more  prospect  of  reaching  bottom  than  of  reaching 
their  destination. 

At  last  the  huge  army  was  brought  to  a  halt  before 
a  cordon  of  earthworks  formed  across  the  Penin- 
sula.    Our  camp  was  pitched  on  a  plateau  of  the 


ON  THE  PENINSULA.  89 

York  River,  with  a  little  creek  in  our  front.  The 
enemy's  Avorks  at  Gloucester  Point  were  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  the  Yorktown  bat- 
teries fronted  us.  This  same  spot  was  the  scene 
of  CoruAvallis's  surrender,  Oct.  19,  1781. 

A  group  had  gathered  around  our  fire  of  rails, 
in  the  mud  back  of  a  little  hillock,  near  a  peach 
orchard.  Several  little  fires  were  added  together 
in  the  unit  of  a  bivouac.  A  party  was  sent 
with  pack-mules  to  Shipping  Point  for  rations, 
of  which  we  were  nearly  destitute.  The  group 
was  lit  up  by  the  ruddy  fire  framed  by  the  outside 
darkness.  Jed  was  extended  at  full  length  on  his 
rubber  blanket,  face  down,  with  elbows  resting  on 
the  ground  and  hands  supporting  his  face.  Captain 
Gruff,  who  was  a  casual  visitor,  occupied  the  seat  of 
honor  on  our  only  cracker-box,  the  contents  of 
which  had  been  eaten  for  breakfast.  He  was  smok- 
ing his  pipe  with  great  gravity  and  deliberation. 
His  huge  mustache  was  twisted  and  pointed  with 
unusual  severity,  and  there  was  a  shadow  on  his 
face  beyond  that  which  was  cast  by  his  overhang- 
ing rugged  brows. 

"Are  Ave  going  to  liaA^e  a  fight,  Captain  Gruff?" 
inquired  young  Sutherland. 

The  captain  smoked  his  pipe  reflectiA^ely,  and 
then,  taking  the  long  stem  from  his  mouth,  made  a 
gesture  towards  the  enemy's  works  Avith  it  and  said, 
"Ah,  dot  Magruter  is  a  sly  tog.  I  serA^ed  unter 
him  vonce,  and  he  had   a  great  vay  of  pouncing 


90  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

upon  us  at  grand  vrounts.  A  sly  tog.  Ve  can't 
tell  vat  Magruter  vill  do."  Resuming  his  pipe  he 
shook  his  head  ominously  ;  while,  gazing  into  the  fire 
in  an  abstracted  manner,  he  occasionally  glanced 
at  Jed. 

While  the  boys  chatted  and  laughed,  the  old  sol- 
dier sat  in  the  same  absent  manner,  with  clouds 
of  gloom  gathering  deeper  and  deeper  on  his  brow. 
Finally,  rising  and  knocking  the  ashes  from  his 
pipe,  he  said,  touching  Jed  on  the  shoulder,  and 
with  a  look  of  something  like  tenderness  which 
alwaj^s  came  to  his  face  when  he  addressed  him, 
''  Jed,  my  poy,  I  have  some  vords  mit  you. 
Come."  Jed  arose  from  his  place  by  the  fire,  and, 
arm  in  arm,  the  old  man  Avith  the  boy  whom  he 
loved  walked  to  the  captain's  quarters. 

"  I  wonder  what  the  old  captain  wants  of  Jed," 
said  Sutherland. 

I  replied  that  I  thought  Gruff  had  the  blues,  and 
as  he  was  very  fond  of  Jed  he  Avanted  his  company 
to  drive  them  away. 

In  a  few  minutes  a  step  was  heard,  and  Jed  re- 
sumed his  place  in  the  circle. 

"  What  did  the  captain  want?  " 

''Oh,"  said  Jed  laughingly,  "he  gave  me  this 
pair  of  stockings,  and  told  me  not  to  go  to  sleep 
on  the  wind'ard  side  of  a  fire,  and  all  that,  you 
knoAV." 

Lights  Avere  ordered  out  (for  drums  were  not 
alloAved  to  be  beaten  Avbile  Ave  Avere  before  York- 


ON  THE  PENINSULA.  91 

town),  and,  lying  under  our  frail  shelter-tents,  we 
were  soon  sound  asleep. 

Here  let  me  digress,  to  say  that  one  characteristic 
of  the  army  was  its  mules,  and  that  of  the  fifteen 
thousand  animals  of  the  army  at  least  twelve  thou- 
sand were  these  raw,  unsubdued  hybrids,  on  whom 
military  life  had  left  no  further  impress  than 
slightly  to  break  them  to  harness. 

The  mule,  perhaps,  illustrates  the  principle  of 
natural  selection,  for  no  other  animal  has  liis  dogged 
persistency  of  life  and  endurance  of  hardship. 
While  he  was  considered  a  valuable  factor  in 
the  Union  army,  he  Avas  not  an  agreeable  one ;  for 
when  he  was  expected  to  go  he  would  stop,  and 
when  his  feet  should  have  been  on  the  firm  earth 
they  were  often  found  in  lively  conflict  with  the 
air,  describing,  with  the  help  of  his  tail  (which 
often  took  the  character  of  an  aerial  paint-brush), 
his  surplus  of  waywardness. 

,  If  there  is  one  who  reads  these  pages  who  has 
never  heard  the  hungry  hallelujah  of  an  army 
mule  at  midnight,  he  has  missed  the  most  won- 
derful violation  of  musical  rules  that  exists  in 
nature.  It  was  this  sound  that  had  awakened  me 
during  the  night.  A  mule  had  set  up  his  hungry 
plaint,  and  then  a  line  of  two  or  three  miles  of  his 
comrades  were  seemingly  convulsed  in  an  effort 
to  surpass  his  performance.  My  first  thought 
on  awakening  was  that  the  roof  of  the  sky  had 
been  kicked  out,  or  that  the  stars  were  shattered 


92  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  a  portion  of  the 'universe  was  falling  tlirougK 
space. 

"  What  an  awful  noise  those  mules  make.  Jed ! 
I  say,  Jed  I  listen  to  those  mules." 

No  answer. 

Again  I  called,  "  I  say,  Jed !  "  when  Osgood  and 
Sutherland  hoth  awoke. 

''Where  IS  Jed?" 

"  Don't  know,''  sleepily  replied  Osgood,  with  a 
yawn,  while  Sutherland  said  quizzically,  "  What's 
the  matter  Avith  them  ar  mules  ?  " 

"  Guess  the  knots  in  the  pontoon  boats  they're 
eating  don't  agree  with  them,"  replied  Osgood, 
with  another  yaAvn. 

While  awaiting  Jed's  return  I  fell  asleep,  and 
was  aroused  by  the  morning  sun  shining  in  my 
face. 

"Where  is  Jed?  "  I  again  inquired. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  this  morning.  Hallo ! 
neither  his  musket,  knapsack,  nor  haversack  is 
here,"  said  Sutherland. 

At  roll  call  Jed  did  not  answer  to  his  name. 
"  Private  Jedediah  Hoskins,  absent  without  leave," 
was  put  upon  the  morning  report  of  the  company. 
I  approached  the  old  captain  and  said,  "  What  has 
become  of  Jed  ?  " 

The  old  man  shook  his  head,  and,  without  reply, 
walked  off  with  a  deeper  gloom  on  his  face  than  I 
had  ever  seen  there  before. 

The  day  passed,  and  Jed  did  not  report  for  duty, 


ON  THE  PENINSULA.  93 

nor  return  to  explain  his  mysterious  absence. 
Then  rumor,  attempting  to  fill  in  the  blank  of  mys- 
tery, said  he  had  deserted. 

I  went  again  to  Captain  Gruff's  quarters.  He 
was  writing  up  his  reports,  with  two  cracker-boxes 
for  a  desk. 

"  They  say  in  the  company  that  Jed  has  deserted, 
captain." 

The  old  man's  red  weatherbeaten  face  turned  lit- 
erally white,  his  goatee  worked  convulsively  for  a 
moment,  but  he  made  no  reply.  Looking  up  after 
a  moment  he  said,  sharply,  as  if  in  defiance,  — 

"  Corporal  Nickerson,  vat  you  vish  to  say  ?  " 

"  I  wish  to  know  where  Private  Hoskins  is,"  I 
replied,  assuming  the  position  of  attention,  and  the 
tone  of  a  subordinate  before  his  superior. 

The  old  soldier,  with  more  kindness  in  his  tones, 
replied,  "  Don't  vorry,  my  poy,  about  Jed.  I  don't 
dink  he  has  teserted."  And  then,  with  a  tremor 
in  his  voice,  added,  "  His  absence  gives  me  much 
pain.  I  can't  say  vare  he  is.  Go  to  your  quarters, 
my  poy ;  go  to  your  quarters." 

In  spite  of  his  self-control  and  sternness,  a  fugi- 
tive tear  rolled  down  the  old  man's  nose,  and 
splashed  the  paper  on  which  he  was  writing.  He 
was  apparently  much  troubled.  Did  he  believe 
Jed  had  deserted  ? 

Jed's  absence  was  for  a  few  days  the  talk  of  the 
camp.  The  theory  that  he  had  deserted  gained 
credence  in  the  absence  of  any  other  reasonable  one, 


94  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

but,   knowing  his  stanch   patriotism,  I   could  not 
beUeve  it. 

"  Used  to  'sociate  with  them  rebs  too  much  down 
in  South  Carolina,  I  guess,"  said  one.  Still,  with 
all  the  gossip  and  guesses,  the  mystery  remained 
unsolved. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BEFORE  YORKTOWN. 

"H^HERE'S  a  hole  big  enough  to  bmy  two  or 

-^  three  of  ye,"  said  a  joker,  belonging  to  a 
party  that  we  relieved  in  the  work  of  digging  rifle- 
pits  shortly  after  our  arrival. 

"  What  made  that  ?  "  curiously  inquired  one  of 
our  number. 

"  Oh,  a  visitor  who  came  from  over  there,"  re- 
plied the  joker,  pointing  towards  the  enemy's  works. 

Just  then  a  flash  and  a  puff  of  smoke  were  seen 
on  the  mud  heaps,  as  we  called  the  enemy's  works. 
After  a  short  interval,  the  sound  of  a  heavy  gun 
was  heard  (as  light  travels  faster  than  sound),  and 
then,  hoarsely  sputtering  and  hissing,  yurn-y urn- 
chug  came  a  shell,  making  a  similar  hole  in  the  earth, 
and  spattering  the  soil  over  us.  Our  boys  called  the 
missile  a  nail-keg,  then  a  camp-kettle.  It  ivas 
about  the  size  of  these  objects,  but  much  more  solid. 
We  soon  became  accustomed  to  them,  and  found 
that,  by  watching,  we  could  see  them  in  the  air, 
and  that  the  noise  they  made  was  often  more  ter- 
rible than  the  execution  they  did. 

Over  a  hundred  thousand  men  of  the  Union 
Army   were  now  encamped    before    the    enemy'g 

95 


96  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

works  at  Yorktown.  Here,  where  a  skirmish  or  a 
sortie  might  at  any  hour  bring  on  a  battle,  the 
children  of  the  same  men  that  conquered  Cornwallis 
were  arrayed  in  deadly  enmity  against  each  other. 

The  land  here  rises  from  the  York  River 
in  a  bluff,  and  forms  a  level  plain  in  front  of  York- 
town.  The  enemy's  works  before  us  consisted  of 
high  earthworks,  with  wide  deep  ditches,  the  whole 
surmounted  by  cannon.  From  our  position  we 
could  see  them,  in  what  ajDpeared  to  be  a  continuous 
ridge  of  yellow  earth,  stretching  along  our  front. 
In  reality  they  consisted  of  an  intricate  network  of 
forts,  connected  by  breastworks,  and  built  under 
the  supervision  of  accomplished  engineers. 

It  rained  almost  continuously,  and  the  miry, 
sticky  soil  in  our  front  was  but  little  adapted  for 
the  rapid  movements  of  artillery  or  troops,  so  es- 
sential to  an  assault. 

A  number  of  small  streams  ran  across  our  front, 
between  us  and  the  enemy.  These  were  soon 
bridged,  and  roads  leading  to  them  built,  through 
gulfs  of  mud,  with  trees  cut  the  width  of  the  road- 
ways laid  closely  together.  This  had  to  be  done ; 
for,  otherwise,  there  seemed  no  bottom  to  the 
mud.  This  was  called  corduroying  the  roads ;  a 
labor  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  assumed  wherever 
it  advanced  in  Virginia,  and  this  in  part  was  a  com- 
pensation to  the  country  for  the  fences  Ave  burned. 

The  fires  of  an  army  will  eat  up  an  astonishing 
number  of  rails,  and  the  soldiers  thought  themselves 


MPORE   YORKfOWN.  97 

fortunate  in  the  fact  that  Southerners  had  made 
such  lavish  use  of  them  in  building  their  fences. 

All  along  our  front  our  men  were  seen  marching 
through  the  rain  with  shovels  and  picks,  to  dig  in- 
trenchments.  Heaps  of  mud  were  soon  piled  up 
in  our  front,  under  the  supervision  of  the  engineers. 
During  the  day,  zigzag  earthworks,  in  places  ex- 
posed to  the  fire  from  the  enemy,  were  advanced 
towards  them  in  such  a  way  that  the  soldiers 
at  work  would  not  be  exposed  to  danger.  At 
night  these  were  connected  by  lines  of  mud  heaps 
running  parallel  with  the  enemy's  works. 

To  one  not  acquainted  with  the  nature  of 
their  work,  they  would  appear  to  be  digging  wide 
and  shallow  ditches  rather  than  breastworks.  In 
this  manner  rifle-pits  four  or  five  feet  deep,  and  ex- 
tending miles  in  length,  rose  on  our  front  and  grad- 
ually approached  to  the  enemy's  works. 

In  this  task  we  sometimes  unearthed  corroded 
shot,  lodged  here  eighty  years  before,  during  the 
Revolution. 

Our  rifle-pits  farthest  in  advance  were  less  intri- 
cate than  those  just  in  the  rear  of  them,  whereon 
were  mounted  our  heavy  artillery,  and  where  mag- 
azines and  bomb-proofs  and  traverses  were  con- 
structed. The  first  were  intended  to  shield  in- 
fantry formed  for  assault ;  while  from  the  second, 
cannonades  were  to  silence  the  enemy's  guns,  and 
drive  them  if  possible  from  their  works. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  failure  of  the  com- 


98  mi)'S  ADVEMTmES. 

manding  general  to  attack  at  this  time,  before  these 
offensive  works  were  erected,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  similar  attacks  on  fortified  positions, 
without  such  precautions,  had  been  failures,  and 
often  resulted  disastrously  to  those  making 
them. 

In  these  operations  our  company  bore  a  conspicu- 
ous part,  as  Captain  Gruff  was  an  accomplished 
engineer,  and  had  the  confidence  of  the  general 
commanding  the  corps. 

Jed's  absence  still  remained  a  mystery,  and  the 
old  captain,  when  questioned,  simply  shook  his  head 
and  replied,  ''  Dere's  a  great  many  curious  tings  in 
var,  my  poy." 

During  this  time  the  enemy  kept  up  an  occasional 
fh^e  with  their  heavy  guns,  principally  directed  at 
our  working  squads,  the  gunboats  on  the  river,  or 
our  canal  boats  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Some- 
times they  attempted  to  fire  at  the  balloon  which 
was  sent  up  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitring  their 
lines,  and  which  was  usually  kept  in  a  little  depres- 
sion of  ground,  in  front  of  our  camp.  An  annoying 
fire  came  also  at  times  from  their  sharpshooters 
and  pickets. 

•  We  took  our  turn  at  picket  duty,  and  most  sol- 
diers liked  this,  notwithstanding  its  greater  dangers, 
better  than  work  with  pickaxe  and  spade.  Our 
pickets  were  established  just  beyond  a  wood,  in 
an  open  field,  where  we  had  thrown  up  a  slight 
line  of  soil  not  over  three  feet  high,  behind  which 


BEFORE   YORKTOWN.  99 

we  lay  during  the  day,  watching  a  similar  line  of 
mud  near  us,  in  our  front. 

One  night  it  Avas  raining,  and  the  advance  pick- 
ets were  very  uncomfortable. 

"  It  rains  all  the  time  in  this  infernal  country," 
growled  one  of  our  men. 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  have  a  smoke,  anyway," 
said  Osgood,  lighting  a  match  on  the  dry  part  of 
his  trousers. 

He  was  just  applying  the  match  to  his  pipe  when 
"  crack,"  went  a  rifle  from  the  enemy  near  us,  and 
the  bowl  and  stem  of  his  pipe  were  shivered  in  his 
hand. 

''Great  gracious!  where's  that  fellow?"  said 
Osgood. 

"  I  saw  the  flash  of  that  musket  way  up  there," 
said  another  soldier,  pointing  towards  the  sky. 

"He  must  be  precious  near  us,"  growled  Osgood 
from  behind  the  mud  heap,  where  he  had  taken 
shelter. 

The  experiment  of  lighting  another  match  was 
tried,  when  "crack,"  came  another  report,  and  a 
bullet  hissed  unpleasantly  near  us.  In  the  morn- 
ing the  mystery  was  solved.  Near  our  line,  per- 
haps fifty  yards  distant,  was  the  chimney-stack  of  a 
ruined  house.  A  rebel  sharpshooter  had  climbed 
up  this  chimney,  and,  knocking  out  a  brick  for  a 
loophole,  had  begun  making  us  uncomfortable  in  a 
very  persevering  manner. 

One  of  our  men  was  wounded  while  getting  to 


100  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

his  feet  from  the  ground,  and  as  we  lay  hugging 
the  earth  before  the  low  ridge  of  soil  used  for  pro- 
tection, we  debated  what  was  best  to  do. 

Every  time  we  showed  any  part  of  our  persons 
above  this  ridge,  '-^ping !''  came  a  bullet  near  our 
heads.  If  we  fired  at  the  chimney-stack,  the  sharp 
report  of  that  rebel  rifle,  and  a  thin  line  of  blue 
smoke,  warned  us  to  be  careful. 

"  He's  got  the  start  of  us,  and  no  mistake,"  said 
"  Long  John  Haskell,"  our  orderly  sergeant. 

"  We've  got  to  wait  here  till  night,  or  two  or 
three  of  us  will  be  shot,  and  I've  got  only  two  hard- 
tack for  rations,"  said  another. 

Captain  Gruff,  who  was  with  us,  viewed  the  sit- 
uation at  first  with  his  usual  phlegmatic  compla- 
cency, but  finally  got  angry,  for  he  could  not  lie 
very  flat,  and  this  didn't  agree  with  his  ideas  of 
military  dignity.  His  face  was  settling  down  into 
an  ominous  frown,  when  it  suddenly  lit  up,  as  if  a 
happy  solution  of  our  difficulty  had  occurred  to 
him. 

"  Mens,  now  mind  vat  I  say.  Dick,"  addressing 
me,  "  stick  your  cap  on  your  ramvrod,  shust  so, 
and  stick  it  up  a  leetle  vays."  (Here  he  illus- 
trated by  holding  his  cap  a  little  above  the  para- 
pet, and  ^'-ping  !''  came  a  minie  bullet  through  it.) 
''  Dere,  Dick  ;  and  ven  dot  rebel  shoots  next  dime 
all  you  mens  runs  to  that  schimney  shust  as  fast 
as  you  can,  and  surround  it." 

All  being  ready,  the  cap  was  stuck  up  on  a  ram- 


imrwiiii 


lill 


<n 


;¥aa;!!i!iiiiiiaii;iii:iBsi!;,.,;;;ffli' 


BEFORE   YORKTOWN'  101 

rod,  the  rebel  fired,  and  we  made  a  rush  upon  the 
chimney-stack.  We  were  then  too  near  for  him 
to  fii^e  down  upon  us.  We  called  upon  him  to  sur- 
render, to  which  the  only  reply  was  a  surly  refusal. 
Shot  after  shot  was  fired  up  the  chimney,  until  down 
tumbled  the  sharpshooter,  dead,  with  a  shot  which 
had  struck  the  lower  jaw  and  passed  through  the 
head  upwards.  We  were  relieved  from  picket 
shortly  afterwards,  and  the  incident  became  the  talk 
of  the  army. 

Just  as  we  reached  the  woods  skirting  the  plain 
on  which  the  scene  took  place,  we  met  one  of  our 
sharpshooters,  a  Californian,  with  a  heavy  telescopic 
rifle,  and  to  him  we  told  the  occurrence. 

"  What  kind  of  a  rifle  did  that  reb  have  ?  "  he 
inquired. 

One  of  the  men  had  brought  the  rifle  along  with 
us,  and  my  attention  was  now  directed  to  it  for  the 
first  time. 

''  It's  one  of  our  improved  Springfield  rifles,  and 
no  mistake,"  said  the  Californian. 

Captain  Gruff  and  myself  had  discovered  another 
surprising  fact.  It  was  Jed's  rifle.  His  initials 
were  marked  in  ink  on  the  but.  That  night  my 
heart  was  heavy  at  the  thought  of  Jed's  possible 
fate. 

In  the  morning  I  met  Captain  Gruff,  and  said, 
"  That  was  Jed's  rifle  we  captured  yesterday." 

"  Yes,"  assented  the  old  man. 

"  I  rubbed  his  initials  off  with  my  coat,"  said  I. 


10^  JED  S  ADVENTURES, 

With  a  steadfast  gaze  into  my  face,  he  said,  "  I 
dells  you  something,  my  poy  :  "  and  then,  laying  his 
hand  kindly  on  my  shoulder,  added,  "Jed  is  all 
vright.*'  Then,  hesitating  a  moment,  as  if  afraid  to 
trust  himself  to  speak  further,  he  abruptly  walked 
away. 

The  finding  of  the  rifle  in  the  possession  of 
the  rebel  sharpshooter  had  not  cleared  up  the  mys- 
tery of  Jed's  absence.  There  was  constant  refer- 
ence made  in  the  company  to  his  disappearance. 
Sergeant  Weston,  who  did  not  like  Jed,  and  took 
every  occasion  to  prejudice  his  comrades  against 
him,  said  one  afternoon,  while  we  were  eating  our 
badly  cooked  rice  and  pork,  "  I  knew  Hoskins 
would  turn  out  badly.  It's  in  the  breed.  His 
father  was  as  straight  as  a  string,  and  belonged 
to  the  church,  at  one  time.  Then  he  took  to 
drink  "~ 

Here  a  hand  on  Weston's  throat  caused  him  to 
stop  and  gasp.  It  was  Captain  Gruff,  who  had 
come  upon  the  group,  and  thus  emphasized  his 
disapproval.  As  he  relaxed  his  grasp  around  the 
sergeant's  throat  he  said,  with  an  angry  frown, 
"  You  ton't  know  vat  you  are  talking  about,  you 
fool,  you ! " 

Meanwhile,  the  working  details  still  labored  in 
the  trenches,  until  we  drew  so  near  the  enemy  that 
there  was  but  a  very  short  distance  between  our 
pickets.  By  a  tacit  understanding,  at  least  at  our 
part  of  the  picket  line,  firing  had  in  part  ceased. 


ni^PORE   YORKTOWN.  lOB 

We  were  lying  behind  our  mud  heap,  keeping 
watch  over  a  similar  earthwork,  when  a  voice  from 
''  a  string  of  mud  "  said,  — 

"I  say,  Yanks!" 

"  What  is  it,  Johnnie?  "  inquired  v/e. 

"  I'll  allow  we'd  like  to  stretch  our  legs  over  this 
side,  and  if  you'll  give  us  a  chance  we'll  give  you 
one." 

"  All  right,  rebs  !  Fair  play  now !  No  shooting ! " 
and  so  we  got  to  our  feet,  and  began  stretching 
our  legs,  to  get  the  cramp  and  rheumatism  out  of 
them  and  our  backs. 

"  Got  any  coffee  to  trade  for  backer,  Yanks  ?  " 
queried  a  reb. 

"  No,  we  are  all  out,"  we  replied. 

"  I  thought  you  Yanks  had  a  powerful  lot 
of  it. 

A  fellow  came  over  here  two  weeks  ago,  toting 
all  his  traps  with  liim,  and  he  had  a  right  smart  of 
coffee." 

*' Deserted?  "  asked  we. 

"  Yes,  he  knew  a  heap  of  South  Carolina  people." 

"  What  regiment  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  he  belonged  to  your  regiment ; 
said  he  was  tired  and  sick  of  yer  dogoned  onerary 
army,  an3^way.  He  was  a  riglit  peart  fellow ;  said 
his  captain  hadn't  been  good  to  him." 

Here  Captain  Gruff  came  up  with  another  officer, 
who  proved  to  be  of  Ingher  rank. 

Our  men  eagerly  related  the  conversation. 


104  jilD'!^  ADvSNTunn^, 

"  Do  you  think  it  was  Private  Hoskins  ?  "  in- 
quired one. 

"  No,"  said  Captain  Gruff :  "  that  poy  lofes  me, 
and  lofes  his  country ;  he  vould  nefer  say  I  hadn't 
been  goot  to  him." 

After  arriving  in  camp  I  went  to  the  captain 
again,  as  I  had  a  suspicion  that  he  could  set  my 
fears  at  rest  regarding  Jed. 

"  Vat  you  wish  to  say?"  was  his  crisp  interro- 
gation. 

"  I  wish  to  learn  if  you  know  where  Private 
Hoskins  is  ?  "  I  replied,  assuming  the  attitude  and 
language  of  a  subordinate  addi-essing  a  superior 
ofBcer. 

The  old  soldier,  with  more  kindness  in  his  tones 
than  was  usual,  replied,  "  I  can't  say  vare  he  is,  my 

But  in  spite  of  his  self-control  he  was  evidently 
much  troubled.     Had  Jed  then  really  deserted  ? 

The  theory  of  his  desertion  was  talked  over, 
but  no  definite  conclusion  was  arrived  at,  and  the 
query  "AVhere  is  Jed?"  remained  far  a  time  unan- 
swered, and  to  some  suspicious  souls  the  matter 
was  never  satisfactorily  explained. 

It  was  now  the  first  of  May.  We  were  on  engi- 
neer detail,  and  during  the  day  the  enemy  had  been 
unusually  active.  They  had  fired  their  artillery 
often,  and  our  hundred-pound  guns,  near  the  York 
River,  had  replied  for  the  first  time  that  day. 

All  our  guns  were  now  ready  to  open  an  encir- 


BEFORE   YORKTOWN.  105 

cling    and    destructive    fire    on    the    Confederate 
works. 

During  the  night  a  fire  seemed  to  liave  broken 
out  inside  the  rebel  lines.  Before  daylight  they 
began  rapidly  firing  from  their  heavy  guns.  At 
sunrise  the  picket  on  our  front  reported  that  the 
pickets  of  the  enemy  had  been  withdrawn,  and  a 
shout  went  up  all  along  the  ranks  at  the  intelligence. 
Men  were  hurried  into  line  and  were  soon  on  the 
march  after  the  retreating  enemy. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PURSUIT   AKD   BATTLE. 

"TT  was  the  7th  of  May,  when  the  Army  of  the 
-*-  Potomac  moved  out  in  pursuit  of  the  foe. 
The  eagerness  of  huntsmen  shone  in  their  faces, 
for  many  in  our  ranks  believed  that  they  had  their 
enemy  "  on  the  run  "  and  were  about  to  end  the 
war  with  one  sharp  and  decisive  conflict. 

There  was  much  apparent  confusion.  Back  near 
their  old  camping-ground,  artillery  men  were  try- 
ing to  move  heavy  siege  guns  over  the  miry  roads. 
These  were  at  last  abandoned,  Avith  their  huge 
muzzles  pointing  skyward  like  telescopes  as  if  ex- 
ploring in  that  direction  for  firmer  roads. 

Drivers  of  mules  and  horses  attached  to  artillery, 
baggage  trains,  ambulances,  and  pontoons,  were 
shouting  and  flourishing  whips,  and  with  fierce  im- 
precations urging  forward  their  unwilling  beasts. 
Mules  with  feet  braced  firmly  in  the  direction  oppo- 
site that  in  which  they  were  required  to  advance, 
maintained  a  masterly  passiveness. 

Contradictory  orders  had  halted  a  division  in  the 
road,  over  which  another  had  orders  to  advance. 
Torpedoes  buried  in  front  of  the  enemy's  works 
were  exploded  by  marching  columns,  killing  sev- 

106 


PURSUIT  AND  BATTLE.  107 

eral  horses  and  men.  In  consequence  of  these 
explosions,  exclamations  of  warning  were  heard 
on  every  side.  ''  Do  you  see  that  stick  ?  "  "  Don't 
touch  that  hat,  there's  a  string  tied  to  it  with  a 
torpedo  on  the  end  I "  Our  brigade  led  the  ad- 
vance, marching  at  route  step,  and  carrying  their 
arms  at  will.  We  were  frequently  halted  for  rest. 
Clouds  began  to  overspread  the  sky  with  the  dark- 
ness of  an  approaching  storm.  We  had  advanced 
over  our  route  three  or  four  miles  when  we  were 
met  by  hatless  and  dismounted  cavalrymen. 

''Haiti  where  are  you  going?"  cried  Captain 
Gruff. 

"  For  re-enforcements ;  the  rebs  are  thicker  than 
hornets  four  or  five  miles  back  there." 

"  Veil,  vat  did  you  comes  pack  for,  den  ?  "  said 
Captain  Gruff  sternly. 

"  Why,  we  rode  right  in  among  them  before  we 
knew  it !  It  was  j^'^Pi  V^P-,  pop.,  and  then  we  lost 
our  horses  and  skedaddled ;  there  wan't  anything 
to  stay  for.  Guess  Ave'll  go  back  with  yer  and  see 
the  fun,  though." 

The  spokesman  was  a  six-footer  who  proved  to 
be  an  ex-lumberman  from  Maine,  Avhom  his  com- 
rades, in  derision  of  his  size,  called  "  Sonny."  The 
squad,  after  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  our 
captain,  fell  in  line  and  marched  forward  with  our 
command. 

Overcome  with  fatigue,  we  were  halted  late  that 
night  near  the  roadside,  and  lay  dowu  in  our  blan- 


108  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

kets  to  sleep.  A  heavy  rain  came  on  during  the 
night  to  increase  our  discomfort.  The  rain  had 
also  increased  the  weight  of  our  clothing  and  knap- 
sacks, and  cooled  our  ardor  for  the  chase. 

The  road  over  which  we  now  advanced  had  been 
cut  through  a  dense  wood  which  deepened  the 
gloom.  "  The  rebs  are  just  ahead  there,"  said  the 
tall  cavalryman,  who  acted  as  guide.  As  we  closed 
up  our  column  and  advanced  without  encountering 
them,  we  began  to  say,  "  Guess  they  won't  wait.'* 
"Got  business  in  Richmond."  "They  are  like 
the  bird  that  wouldn't  wait  while  the  paralyzing 
salt  was  put  on  its  tail,"  when  the  quick  crach, 
crack  of  musketry  ahead  showed  that  our  skir- 
mishers had  already  encountered  those  of  the 
enemy.  Cooks,  sutlers,  chaplains,  and  officers' 
horses  were  speedily  sent  to  the  rear,  and  the  bri- 
gade was  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle. 

There  was  a  mass  of  felled  timber  encumbering 
an  open  plain  half  a  mile  wide  on  our  front.  Be- 
yond this  we  could  distinguish  dimly  through  the 
pouring  rain,  the  yellow  mud  heaps  of  the  enemy's 
earthworks.  The  rain  ceased  for  a  while,  and  we 
could  plainly  see  Fort  Magruder  before  us. 

"  There's  a  white  flag  on  that  fort,"  said  one  of 
our  men.  Captain  Gruff  gravely  examined  it 
through  his  field-glass  and  said,  — 

"  Dot  is  a  faded  out  flag,  not  a  vite  flag  of 
truce." 

"  In  other  words,  their  colors  run,"  jocosely  said 


PURSUIT  AND  BATTLE,  109 

the  colonel,  who  had  also  been  examining  them 
through  his  glass. 

The  enemy's  heavy  guns  opened  fire  on  our  lines, 
and  their  shot  ploughed  up  the  ground  and  crashed 
among  the  fallen  trees  in  our  front,  and  cut  away 
the  branches  of  the  trees  in  the  wood,  on  the  edge 
of  which  we  were  aligned.  We  were  deployed 
near  the  Hampton  road  commanded  by  the  guns 
of  Fort  Magruder.  The  mist  and  rain  prevented 
the  Confederate  artillery  from  getting  our  position 
for  a  while,  when  the  rattle  of  a  battery's  wheels 
gave  them  our  range.  Whiz  !  hang  !  chug  !  came 
shot  and  shell  with  deadly  precision,  striking  the 
guns,  killing  some  of  the  gunners,  and  driving 
others  from  their  places.  Volunteers  soon  manned 
these  pieces  again,  and  the  guns  of  the  fort  were 
for  a  time  silenced. 

While  here  in  line,  during  an  ominous  silence, 
we  could  see  large  bodies  of  the  enemy's  infantry 
stealthily  advancing  through  the  ravines  which 
traversed  the  plain  on  our  front.  Our  lines  were 
weakened  by  sending  a  large  part  of  our  force  to 
support  our  left,  menaced  by  this  movement  of  the 
enemy. 

The  Confederates  shortl}^  after  made  an  attack, 
and  four  pieces  of  our  artillery  which  were  without 
infantiy  support  were  captured.  The  Confeder- 
ates, with  the  long-di*awn-out "  Yi^  yi,,  y-i-i-ir  were 
advancing  I  Captain  Gruff,  whom  the  men  had 
always  thought  needlessly  fussy,  right  dressed  our 


110  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

company  amid  the  yell  of  the  enemy  and  the  hum 
of  bullets,  with  the  same  minute  care  as  if  on  drill 
or  dress  parade. 

''  By  heavens  I  "  said  one  of  our  men  admiringly, 
"the  old  captain  don't  mind  bullets." 

"  He  seems  to  like  'em,"  said  a  second. 

We  were  advanced  in  line  while  the  enemy  came 
on,  and  shot  began  to  strike  around  us  like  the  pat- 
tering of  raindrops  among  forest  leaves.  The 
sharp  ping  and  zip  of  the  round  and  minie  bullets 
whispered  death  to  our  ranks.  If  anything  will 
take  the  military  starch  out  of  a  man,  it  is  rain  and 
mud  during  a  fight. 

Near  me,  as  we  advanced,  was  the  tall  cavalry- 
man I've  mentioned  as  "  Sonny,"  and  following 
beliind  him,  trailing  his  musket,  was  a  little  tliin 
fellow  not  over  eighteen  years  old,  loudly  crying. 

'•'  What  are  you  crying  about  ?  "  gruffly  asked 
Sonny,  in  tones  so  deep  that  they  seemed  to  come 
from  his  coat-tails. 

"  My  knees  are  weak,  and  I'm  scared,"  was  an- 
swered, in  a  piping  treble  voice. 

"Who  in  thunder  ain't?  "  said  Sonny,  in  his  most 
tremendous  bass. 

Our  boys  laughed  full  as  loudly  as  they  would 
had  they  not  recognized  the  truth  of  the  assumption. 

We  were  halted  again,  right  dressed,  and  opened 
fire ;  the  rattle  of  ramrods  in  muskets,  and  the 
steady  roll  of  musketry,  had  a  curious  sound  when 
combined.     Our  men  began  to  fall.     One  of  our 


PURSUIT  AND  BATTLE.  Ill 

men  who  was  shot,  before  falling,  sighted  and  fired 
his  musket,  then  fell  dead  at  our  feet. 

Above  the  din  was  heard  the  voice  of  Captain 
Gruff  from  his  place  in  the  rear,  saying,  "  Steady, 
mens  I  Steady  I  "  Wounded  men  fell  out  of  the 
line,  or  were  carried  away.  We  were  outnumbered, 
and  began  to  give  ground.  The  colonel  and  adju- 
tant were  wounded,  and  Captain  Gruff,  in  virtue 
of  seniority  of  rank,  assumed  command.  He  halted 
and  aligned  the  men,  and  coolly  walked  in  front 
of  them  while  the  rebels  came  on. 

We  were  out  of  ammunition,  and  a  squad  had 
been  detailed  to  take  it  from  the  cartridge-boxes 
of  our  dead  and  wounded. 

Bayonets  were  fixed  to  repel  a  possible  charge. 
Many  of  our  officers  were  killed  and  wounded  in 
the  brigade,  and  the  men  were  getting  disheartened 
and  began  to  fall  back.  Captain  Gruff  was  re- 
forming them,  when  an  officer  on  a  white  horse 
stopped  in  their  midst,  and  said,  in  an  indescribable 
tone  of  command  and  coolness,  "  Men,  you  must 
hold  your  ground." 

The  men  recognized  their  commander,  General 
Hooker,  and  with  a  cheer  faced  towards  the  enemy, 
while  Captain  Gruff  aligned  them  once  more. 
The  general  watched  this  proceeding  under  a  heavy 
fire  from  musketry  and  artillery,  then,  nodding  to- 
wards Captain  Gruff,  said  to  an  aid,  ''  Thaf  s  a  cool 
old  soldier,"  and  rode  away  down  the  left  of  the 
line. 


112  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

There  now  succeeded  a  lull  in  the  conflict. 

"  Hist !  there's  a  line  of  men  moving  near  us," 
said  Orderly  John  in  a  whisper.  Through  an  open- 
ing in  the  branches  near  we  could  see  a  party  of 
men  stealthily  moving  parallel  to  our  own  force, 
trailing  their  arms.  Our  men  instinctively  brought 
their  muskets  to  an  aim.  '^  Don't  fire.  They've 
got  on  blue  overcoats.  They  are  some  of  our  own 
men." 

"  Ready  !  Don't  you  see  their  gray  hats  ?  "  said 
Captain  Gruff,  in  an  undertone. 

"  There's  a  white  flag,"  said  a  lieutenant ;  and  he 
sprang  forward  with  hand  extended  to  receive  it, 
when  he  was  shot  dead. 

"  Fire  I  "  came  the  command,  and  a  line  of  fire 
sprang  from  the  muzzles  of  our  muskets  with  deadly 
effect.  In  an  instant,  before  the  blue  smoke  of  this 
volley  had  drifted  away,  an  exclamation  of  "  See  that 
man  on  horseback  !  "  was  heard.  I  looked,  and  saw 
the  man  in  the  gray  uniform  of  a  Confederate  officer, 
not  half  a  dozen  yards  from  us,  riding  towards  our 
line  with  a  white  handkerchief  on  a  sword.  There 
was  something  indescribably  familiar  in  his  form 
and  manner.  A  dozen  muskets  were  brought  to  a 
deadly  aim,  when  Captain  Gruff  beat  down  their 
muskets  with  his  sword,  and  then,  turning,  ad- 
vanced to  meet  the  horseman.  An  exclamation  of 
astonishment  broke  from  his  lips  as  the  officer 
handed  him  a  packet,  spoke  a  few  words  in  an 
undertone,  and  rode  away  towards  the  enemy  again. 


"General  Hooker  was  sitting  on  his  horse  in  the  rain. 
—  Page  113. 


PURSUIT  AND  BATTLE.  113 

"Corporal  Nickerson,"  cried  the  captain,  with 
apparent  agitation. 

"  Here,  sir,"  I  responded,  stepping  out  from  the 
line. 

'^  Take  this  packet  at  once  to  General  Hooker, 
down  the  left.     It's  very  important." 

A  horse  was  brought  up,  which  I  mounted,  and 
rode  down  the  left  of  the  line.  I  found  General 
Hooker,  and  as  I  handed  him  the  packet  I  glanced 
at  the  writing  on  it.  It  was  Jed's  handwriting. 
At  once  there  came  to  me  the  conviction  that  the 
officer  who  rode  to  our  lines  in  the  face  of  so  much 
danger  was  Jed. 

General  Hooker  was  sitting  on  his  horse  in  the 
rain.  He  hastily  scanned  the  contents  of  the 
packet,  thrust  one  of  the  papers  into  his  pocket, 
wrote  a  few  words  on  one  of  the  folded  papers, 
and,  glancing  at  me,  said,  "  I  have  no  orderly  or 
staff  officer  present  that  I  can  spare.  Please  take 
these  papers  to  General  McClellan." 

I  was  about  to  start  w^hen  he  said,  "  Wait,"  then, 
scrawling  a  few  lines,  handed  me  a  pass.  It  read, 
"  Pass  bearer  with  important  despatches  to  Gene- 
ral McClellan's  Hd.  Qurs.  —  Jos.  Hooker,  Brig.- 
Gen." 

At  last,  after  an  hour's  ride  over  the  muddy  road 
and  through  the  rain,  I  found  General  McClellan's 
headquarters.  I  saluted  a  young-looking  man, 
undersized,  with  a  reddish  beard  and  sandy  hair, 
seated  at   a   pine   table.     It  was  McClellan.     He 


114  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

took  the  package  from  my  hand,  and  was  soon  pro- 
foundly absorbed  in  its  contents.  I  could  see  that 
some  of  the  papers  were  maps  or  plans.  He  fin- 
ished reading  them,  then  looked  up  and  began 
questioning  me  as  to  how  they  came  to  be  in  my 
possession.  I  described  the  scene  I  have  already 
given  to  the  reader.  "  Well  done  !  "  he  ejaculated. 
Just  then  a  thin  old  man  of  foreign  aspect  came 
in,  whom  I  recognized  as  the  Prince  cle  Joinville, 
at  that  time  on  McClellan's  staff.  He  conversed 
in  French  with  the  general  a  few  minutes,  then, 
turning  to  the  table,  wrote  me  a  pass  and  said, 
"Return  to  General  Hooker,  and,  with  my  com- 
pliments, give  him  this  letter.  Wait  a  moment;  " 
then,  calling  to  an  orderly,  said,  "  Give  this  man 
some  hot  coffee." 

I  was  soon  ready  for  the  saddle,  and  the  strong 
horse  I  rode  took  me  speedily  to  the  front.  I  was 
conducted  to  General  Hooker.  The  general  looked 
over  the  note,  and  turning  to  a  one-armed  officer 
at  his  side  said  impatiently,  "  General  McClellan 
can't  understand  that  we  are  fighting  a  battle  and 
not  a  skirmish."  Then  wheeling  his  horse,  and 
saying  to  the  one-armed  officer,  "  There  comes  the 
head  of  your  column,"  rode  down  the  line,  —  the 
manliest  and  most  soldierly  figure  I  ever  saw  on  a 
field  of  battle. 

I  reported  to  Captain  Gruff  again,  and  found  the 
regiment  just  retiring  to  the  woods  behind  a  line 
of  fresh  men  which  had  arrived  as  re-enforcements. 


PURSUIT  AND  BATTLE,  115 

In  a  moment  there  was  a  continuous  roar  of 
musketry,  and  the  heavy  boom  of  cannon  in  our 
front.  "  Just  listen  to  that,"  exclaimed  Sutherland, 
"  Kearney's  men  are  going  in  I  "  In  a  few  moments 
we  heard  a  cheer  which  showed  that  the  enemy 
were  falling  back  and  that  the  Union  advance  was 
successful. 

After  the  fighting  was  over,  the  bands  came  up 
and  began  playing  patriotic  airs.  Hancock  had 
meanwhile  flanked  the  enemy's  position,  and  the 
Confederates  had  no  choice  but  to  retreat. 

Our  men  were  soon  cooking  their  coffee  and 
commenting  on  the  occurrences  of  the  day.  Cap- 
tain Gruff,  who  before  the  fight  had  not  be  en  much 
liked  by  the  men,  was  now  very  popular. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  anything  like  our  old  captain, 
squinting  along  the  ranks  to  see  if  there  was  a  but- 
ton out  of  line  during  the  fight  ?  " 

"  He's  a  brick !  "  said  Orderly  John,  the  color  of 
whose  hair  would  better  justify  the  cognomen  he 
applied  to  Captain  Gruff. 

"  Yes,  gilt-edged,"  said  Osgood  the  cook,  who 
was  liberal  with  slang. 

"  I  call  him  an  hout  and  houter,"  said  an  English 
soldier. 

The  old  soldier  had  proved  his  ability  and  brave- 
ry; and  thenceforward  his  men  were  willing  to 
follow  him  to  the  death,  because  they  believed  that 
he  "  knew  his  business,''  as  they  expressed  it,  and 
wasn't  afraid. 


116  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

The  next  morning  the  sun  shone  brightly  on  the 
ensanguined  field.  The  enemy  had  abandoned  the 
works  on  our  front  during  the  night,  and  had 
retreated. 

The  first  battle  of  the  Peninsular  Campaign  had 
been  fought  with  a  loss  of  1,575  men  of  our  division 
and  of  these  338  were  killed.  Detachments  were 
sent  out  to  bury  the  dead,  and  the  abatis  of  fallen 
trees  was,  for  sanitary  reasons,  set  on  fire  and  con- 
sumed. 

The  plain  on  our  front,  as  we  marched  on  to 
Williamsburg,  was  plentifully  sprinkled  with  Union 
and  Confederate  graves. 

As  we  passed  through  the  town,  we  found  the 
yellow  flags  of  the  Confederate  hospitals  still  float- 
ing over  "William  and  Mary's"  College,  while  the 
marble  slabs  in  a  graveyard  were  yet  red  with 
blood  where  they  had  been  used  as  amputating 
tables  by  the  Confederates. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MARCHING   ON. 

AS  we  resumed  our  march  the  soldiers  talked 
over  the  incidents  of  the  battle  just  fought. 
It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  the  battle  was  so  con- 
stant a  topic  of  conversation  in  our  ranks  as  it  was 
around  the  home  firesides.  Neither  did  our  men, 
even  then,  discuss  it  with  the  avidity  they  did 
other  topics,  such  as  how  to  cook  the  pigs  (if  they 
could  be  caught),  which  they  with  grave  humor 
declared  were  hindering  the  march  of  the  army. 

Give  a  soldier  plenty  to  eat  and  a  good  camping- 
place  and  rest  and  he  will  soon  forget  the  hardship 
and  perils  of  battle. 

The  value  of  rebel  fractional  currency,  which 
we  received  in  change  for  greenbacks  from  the 
people  of  that  region,  was  also  an  interesting 
theme  for  discussion  and  conjecture.  It  was  seri- 
ously believed  by  some  (and  questioned  by  others), 
that  it  could  be  used  as  money  upon  reaching 
Richmond. 

The  weather  soon  became  very  warm,  and  the 
roads  were  always  either  muddy  or  dusty.  In  all 
my  campaigning  in  Virginia,  between  these  two 
extremes  there  seemed  no  pleasant  medium.     The 

117 


118  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

wonderful  ability  of  a  Virginia  road  to  yield  the 
stickiest  of  mud  that  ever  adhered  to  an  army 
shoe  one  day,  and  blinding  dust  the  next,  was  one 
of  the  constant  miracles  of  the  country. 

With  light  hearts  and  high  hopes  of  speedily 
overtaking  and  "gobbling"  the  rebel  hosts,  the 
army  marched  on,  skirmishing  with  the  pigs  which 
ran  at  large,  and  converting  the  leaf  tobacco  found 
in  barns  and  sheds  to  its  own  use. 

Later  on,  we  better  understood  the  fleetness  of 
foot,  both  of  the  enemy  and  of  wandering  Virginia 
pigs,  and  were  less  sanguine  of  success  while  in 
pursuit  of  either.  Our  marches  up  the  Peninsula 
were  short,  but  long  enough  when  measured  by  the 
depth  of  the  mud  and  length  of  the  roads  to  cause 
the  then  comparatively  raw  soldiers  of  the  army  to 
cast  away  their  clothing,  until  blankets,  boots,  over- 
coats, and  soldiers'  garments  of  every  description 
actually  littered  the  roads  and  fields. 

We  discussed  the  subjects  usual  to  the  same 
number  of  men  at  home  ;  and  while  our  views  di- 
verged as  to  what  should  be  done  with  the  Con- 
federacy when  we  "  bagged  "  it,  yet  there  was  little 
doubt  among  us  that  the  Confederate  army  would 
soon  be  ours. 

We  arrived  at  "  White  House  Landing,"  May 
22,  1862.  The  evening  of  our  arrival  was  dark 
and  stormy,  but  when  morning  dawned  the  sky 
was  lit  up  with  the  rosy  hues  of  the  coming  sun, 
promising  a  beautiful  day. 


MARCHING  ON.  119 

That  morning,  on  arousing  myself,  I  beheld  the 
novel  sight  of  a  slumbering  army  compactly  en- 
camped. A  green  and  level  plain  half  a  mile  or 
more  broad,  whitened  with  tents  and  baggage 
wagons,  and  set  in  a  fringe  of  surrounding  green 
woods,  lay  between  our  encampment  and  the  Pa- 
munky  River,  where  transports  with  supplies  for 
the  army  had  arrived.  Soon  the  encampment  be- 
gan to  show  signs  of  awakening  life.  The  smoke 
from  numerous  cooking  fires  curled  up  from  among 
the  tents,  and  drifted  lightly  away ;  the  confused 
hum  of  voices  began  to  be  heard,  the  sharp  tones 
of  command,  the  roll  call  and  its  responses. 

Ere  long  tents  were  struck  ;  blue  lines  of  infan- 
try were  aligned  in  martial  order,  and  with  bur- 
nished arms  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  the  long 
columns  began  their  march  once  more.  Then  were 
heard  the  rattle  of  the  wheels  of  army  vehicles, 
the  sharp  crack  of  the  mule  driver's  whip,  and  the 
defiant  hee-haw  of  the  mules,  as  if  in  reply. 

The  roads  were  now  filled  with  marching  col- 
umns, trains  of  artillery  and  pontoons  and  white- 
topped  baggage  wagons,  with  an  occasional  group 
of  ambulances.  There  was  no  pride  of  display ;  the 
serviceable  qualities  of  getting  through  the  treacle- 
like mud,  for  the  time  seemed  only  uppermost.  Yet 
it  was  the  largest  and  best  disciplined  army  which 
up  to  that  time  had  trodden  the  soil  of  America  ;  as 
great  in  all  its  trials  and  reverses,  as  when,  at  last, 
it  overthrew  its  brave  and  martial  antagonist. 


120  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

In  less  than  another  week,  the  army  was  brought 
to  a  halt  on  the  banks  of  the  narrow,  swamj)-fringed 
Chickahominy.  This  river  is  a  sluggish  milL 
stream  which  here  describes  a  quarter  circle,  around 
and  within  eight  to  ten  miles  of  Richmond.  The 
corps  of  Porter  and  Franklin  were  held  on  the 
east  of  this  river,  while  Keyes  and  Heintzelman 
were  established  upon  its  right  banks.  Our  divi- 
sion went  into  camp  on  the  Williamsburg  road 
guarding  the  approaches  to  White  Oak  Swamp. 

Shortly  after  going  into  camp  at  this  place,  I  was 
ordered  to  report  to  the  colonel  of  my  regiment.  As 
I  entered  his  quarters,  I  found  that  Captain  Gruff 
had  preceded  me.  He  took  no  notice  of  me  —  a 
common  habit  with  him  —  and  I  saluted  the  colonel 
and  stood  at  ''  attention  "  to  receive  his  orders. 

''  I  have  received  an  order  to  detail  a  man  to 
serve  as  a  mounted  orderly  at  Hooker's  headquar- 
ters. Would  you  like  the  detail.  Corporal  Nick- 
erson  ?  "  asked  the  colonel. 

I  glanced  at  Captain  Gruff,  l^ut  his  face  Avore 
what  one  of  our  company  boys  called  a  ''  cast-iron 
expression,"  or  rather  lack  of  expression,  and  a 
stranger  seeing  him  would  not  have  imagined  he 
had  the  slightest  interest  in  the  matter  proposed. 

This  assumed  want  of  interest  on  the  part  of  my 
captain  nettled  me  into  replying,  ''  Am  I  obliged 
to  accept  this  detail  ?  " 

"There  is  no  compulsion,"  re^^lied  the  colonel 
with  military  conciseness. 


MARCHING   ON.  121 

"  Then  I  will  remain  with  my  company,  and  do 
my  duty  as  a  soldier,"  I  replied  respectfully. 

Captain  Gruff's  face  began  to  lose  its  stolidity, 
and  he  stroked  and  twisted  his  goatee  nervously, 
as  if  (as  Jed  was  accustomed  to  say)  he  was  milk- 
ing for  ideas. 

"  Don't  pe  a  fool,  Dick !  "  he  exclaimed  explo- 
sively. "My  company  is  the  vorst  place  in  the 
army  for  you  !  " 

"  Why  so?  "  I  inquired. 

"  If  I  promotes  you,  the  rest  of  mine  regiment 
pe  jealous  and  say,  '  Oh  veil,  dot  fellow  he  knew 
the  captain  pefore  the  war,  and  of  course  he  recom- 
mends him  for  promotion  !  He's  vone  of  the  cap- 
tain's pets.'  You'd  petter  take  this  chance,  Dick," 
said  the  old  soldier,  rising  and  persuasively  laying 
his  hand  on  my  shoulder. 

I  still  hesitated  when  Colonel  Baker  said,  "  The 
captain  is  right,  promotion  goes  by  favor  as  well 
as  merit,  and  if  you  gain  General  Hooker's  favor  he 
may  promote  you  in  this  or  some  other  regiment." 

"  When  Jed  comes  back  to  the  regiment  I  want 
to  be  with  Jed,"  I  persisted. 

"  Don't  bodder  your  head  mit  Jed's  affairs  ;  Jed 
is  doing  veil  enough  "  — here  the  captain  hesitated 
as  if  he  had  said  too  much. 

As  I  had  been  secretly  angry  with  Captain  Gruff 
because  of  my  suspicion  that  he  was  the  cause  of 
Jed's  absence,  I  answered,  looking  him  steadily 
and  respectfully  in  the  face,  — ■ 


122  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  I  am  afraid  Jed  is  7iot  well  enough,  but  is  in  a 
dangerous  service,  and  that  you  have  been  the 
cause  of  his  being  in  that  service." 

The  shot  told!  The  captain's  face,  relaxing 
from  its  usual  immovability,  turned  first  red  and 
then  to  a  deadly  pallor.  He  looked  towards  the 
colonel,  who  meanwhile  had  lit  a  cigar,  and  with 
his  wounded  arm  on  the  camp  table  was  com- 
placently smoking.  Finally  the  old  soldier  sat 
down ;  began  hurriedly  to  fill  his  pij)e,  while  his 
eyes  assumed  a  look  of  abstraction. 

'•'•  What  are  you  going  to  say  to  that,  captain  ?  " 
said  Colonel  Baker  quizzically. 

Thus  addressed,  with  his  face  relaxed  from  its 
grim  rigidity,  he  replied,  addressing  me  rather  than 
his  superior,  — 

"  Dick !  you  know  !  No  !  no  one  knows  but  Got 
how  I  lofes  Jed.  I  lofes  him  —  better  than  mine 
life  —  but  the  place  for  a  brave  man  to  pe,  is  where 
he  can  pest  serve  his  country." 

The  husky,  broken  tones  of  my  captain,  more 
than  his  words,  showed  his  deep  emotion. 

"You  had  better  accept.  Corporal  Nickerson. 
Positions  such  as  I  have  offered  you  don't  go  a-beg- 
ging. They  are  usually  given  to  cavalrymen,  not 
to  infantry  soldiers.  I  trust  you  will  report  to 
General  Hooker  for  duty  at  once,"  said  Colonel 
Baker. 

I  bowed  my  assent,  and  thanked  him  for  his 
interest.     Captain  Gruff's  face  resumed  its  compos- 


MARCHING  ON.  123 

ure  as  he  lit  his  pipe,  and  with  one  eye  on  that, 
glancing  occasionally  at  me,  said  between  whiffs  in 
his  gruffest  tones,  "  Do  your  tuty,  Dick,  and  if  I 
hears  from  Jed,  I  lets  you  know." 

One  of  my  earliest  passions  was  a  love  for  horses, 
and  I  had  never  neglected  an  opportunity  for  rid- 
ing or  driving  one.  I  was  a  good  rider,  and  it  was 
a  vicious  animal  indeed  that  I  could  not  manage. 

Upon  arriving  at  General  Hooker's  headquarters 
I  was  assigned  to  duty,  and  a  cream-colored  ^Nlexi- 
can  pony  was  given  me  for  a  saddle-horse.  When 
I  first  mounted  her  there  was  an  exchange  of  glances 
around  headquarters  which  made  me  suspicious 
that  she  had  some  qualities  that  were  not  pleasant 
ones.  I  mounted,  gave  her  the  spur,  and  she  went 
like  the  wind,  and  I  thought  her  the  easiest-going 
horse  I  had  ever  ridden.  I  had  almost  concluded 
that  the  little  mustang  was  perfect,  when,  with 
wonderful  quickness,  she  suddenly  ploughed  her 
fore-feet  into  the  dust  and  threw  up  her  heels  so  as 
almost  to  stand  on  her  head.  I  clung  tenaciously 
to  her  mane,  and  was  luckily  not  dismounted.  I 
then  urged  her  on  with  spur  and  whip,  fully  deter- 
mined to  conquer  her.  For  a  half-hour  she  tried 
every  expedient  known  to  a  vicious  horse,  includ- 
ing bucking,  to  dismount  me,  without  success  ;  and 
then,  as  if  satisfied  with  her  endeavors,  placidly  re- 
signed herself  to  my  direction,  and  thenceforward 
I  had  no  trouble  with  her.  A  more  intelligent, 
docile  creature  I  never  knew.     She  would  come  at 


124  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

my  whistle  like  a  dog,  and  follow  me  at  the  snap 
of  my  thumb  and  finger.  I  afterwards  learned  it 
had  been  a  standing  joke  at  headquarters  to  loan 
her  to  olhcers  and  others  visiting  the  camp,  and 
that  in  most  cases  she  had  dismounted  those  who 
had  tried  to  ride  her. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN  THE   SADDLE. 

WE  arrived  on  the  line  of  the  Chickahominy 
about  the  20th  of  May,  and  it  was  on  the 
25th  that  I  began  my  duties  as  a  mounted  orderly. 
Thenceforward  I  was  riding  with  communications 
and  orders  to  various  parts  of  the  line,  and  was 
twice  at  McClellan's  headquarters  during  the 
week  succeeding.  The  Chickahominy  (or  that  por- 
tion whose  banks  were  occupied  by  the  Union  army) 
flows  through  a  belt  of  swamp  land,  forming,  in 
places,  two  or  more  streams,  with  border-lands  so 
level  arid  low  that  a  rise  of  the  stream  by  a  few 
inches  causes  the  overflow  of  a  large  area  of  its 
margin. 

On  these  occasional  visits  to  the  west  side  of  the 
river  I  had  observed  the  engineers  throwing  out 
bridges,  in  order  to  afford  easy  communication  be- 
tween the  divided  wings  of  the  army.  At  one 
place  I  observed  a  bridge  built  on  canvas  boats, 
wliile  near  the  centre  of  the  line  a  bridge  of  ordi- 
nary pontoons  or  scows  spanned  the  narrow  stream. 
This  was  called  Duane's  bridge,  and  was  near  Mc- 
Clellan's headquarters  at  Gaines'  Mills.  At  still 
another  place  a  bridge  of  logs,  lashed  to  stumps 

125 


126  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  suspended  from  the  overhanging  limbs  of 
trees,  Avas  being  constructed.  This  was  afterwards 
known  as  Sumner's  bridge. 

On  the  night  of  the  30th  of  May  there  occurred 
a  terrific  tempest,  during  which  the  thunder  re- 
sembled an  artillery  engagement.  The  fall  of  rain 
was  so  prodigious  that  it  was  like  a  supplementary 
deluge,  and  the  soldiers  facetiously  declared  that 
the  commanding  general  was  about  to  add  swim- 
ming lessons  and  evolutions  on  stilts  to  their  regu- 
lar drill. 

Early  on  the  morning  following,  while  it  was 
still  raining,  I  was  sent  with  communications  to 
the  west  side  of  the  Chickahominy.  Upon  my  arri- 
val at  the  river  I  found  the  banks  overflowed  in 
every  direction.  Sumner's  lower  bridge,  where  I 
had  intended  to  make  a  crossing,  had  been  swept 
away  by  the  freshet,  and  but  fragments  of  it  re- 
mained. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  cross  here;  I  rode  to  the 
upper  bridge,  where,  though  its  corduroy  approaches 
were  in  part  submerged,  and  only  held  in  position 
by  being  tied  to  the  stumps  of  trees,  the  portion 
overhanging  the  stream  was  still  in  place,  though 
of  doubtful  stanchness.  Here  I  finally  crossed, 
and,  riding  to  the  right  centre  of  the  line,  delivered 
my  message. 

At  the  Duane  bridge,  near  the  commanding  gen- 
eral's headquarters,  the  narrow,  sluggish  stream  of 
yesterday  was  wide  and  rapid,  and  the  bridge  of 


IN  THE  SADDLE.  127 

boats  swung  midway  in  the  rushing  current.  The 
river  was  still  rising. 

It  was  a  little  after  ten  o'clock  that  morning, 
while  on  my  way  back,  that  I  heard  the  heavy  boom 
of  cannon  in  the  direction  of  Fair  Oaks. 

A  few  words  here  are  needed  in  explanation. 
The  division  of  McClellan's  army  on  a  treacherous 
stream  was  in  part  a  necessity  of  its  position.  Its 
line  of  manoeuvre  against  Richmond  was  broken 
by  the  Chickahominy,  which  therefore  had  to  be 
crossed.  A  heavy  force  was  hence  necessary  to 
protect  its  communications  with  its  base  of  opera- 
tions on  the  Pamunky  River. 

The  position  of  the  army  (with  a  line  of  commu- 
nication almost  in  prolongation  of  its  front  of  ope- 
rations) made  inaction  perilous,  as  it  was  exposed 
to  attack  in  detail ;  that  is,  one  part  was  in  danger 
of  being  overwhelmed  before  the  other  could  come 
to  its  assistance. 

The  able  Confederate  general  who  commanded 
the  opposing  army  was  not  a  man  to  neglect  such 
an  opportunity. 

At  this  time  Casey's  division  was  near  Fair  Oaks, 
with  the  position  nearest  the  enemy  strengthened 
by  a  redoubt  and  rifle  pits.  This  was  held  by 
Nagle's  brigade,  supported  by  a  brigade  from  Gen- 
eral Couch's  division. 

Nagle's  men,  with  their  arms  stacked,  were  work- 
ing in  the  rain  and  mud,  strengthening  these  de- 
fences,    On  this  exposed  force  fell  the  first  fury 


128  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

of  the  attack,  a  little  after  ten  o'clock  that  morn- 
ing. The  sharp,  quick  "  Crack!  snap  !  crack!''  of 
rifles  in  their  front  first  told  that  the  picket  line 
was  attacked.  The  men  engaged  in  tlie  work  of 
intrenching,  thus  warned,  sprang  to  their  arms, 
none  too  soon.  The  videttes  were  quickly  driven 
back  to  the  rifle  pits  and  redoubts. 

A  heavy  force  of  Confederates  made  an  attack 
in  front,  while  another  gained  their  flank,  and  with 
a  galling  fire  enfiladed  their  line.  Its  defenders 
fell  back  disorganized,  and  the  redoubt  was  cap- 
tured. Our  men  now  slowly  retreated  (stub- 
bornly contesting  each  step)  on  General  Couch's 
position  at  Seven  Pines. 

It  was  the  artillery  firing  of  this  fight  which  I  had 
heard  Avhile  riding  forward  on  my  return  from  the 
Chickahominy.  After  my  return  I  was  allowed 
but  a  short  interval  of  rest,  when  I  was  ordered  to 
carry  a  message  to  General  Casey.  As  I  rode  to- 
wards Richmond  I  began  to  hear  with  greater  dis- 
tinctness the  quick,  sharp  crackling,  and  the  long, 
continuous  roar  of  musketry. 

As  I  rode  forward  on  the  muddy  Williamsburg 
road  the  sound  of  battle  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
as  if  the  contest  was  drifting  southwards,  towards 
Couch's  position.  I  had  now  taken  a  road  leading 
to  the  right  from  the  Williamsburg  road,  and  soon 
began  to  meet  the  chaff  of  the  fight  (its  skulkers 
and  cowards  and  disheartened  ones),  which  is 
blown  to  the  rear  of  a  fight  by  the  fierce  Avhisper 


m  THE  SADDLE.  m 

of  bullets.  With  tlie  chaff  also  came  some  of  that 
better  element,  its  wounded.  Many  others  had  ap- 
parently escaped  from  their  duties  at  the  front 
under  pretence  of  caring  for  injured  comrades. 
These  wounded  ones,  hurt  often  by  the  rough 
hurry  of  their  conductors,  were  groaning  or  cry- 
ing out  piteously.  The  heads  and  limbs  of  some 
were  bandaged  with  blood-stained  handkerchiefs  or 
fragments  of  garments. 

"  Don't  go  up  there,"  called  out  a  wounded  man 
to  me.  "  Our  boys  are  cut  all  to  j)ieces.  The  rebs 
are  giving  them  Jessie." 

"  The  whole  army  is  skedaddling,"  said  another. 

I  returned  some  careless  answer  to  these  peoj^le, 
and  rode  on,  as  there  did  not  seem  any  immediate 
danger ;  and,  besides,  I  had  an  official  envelope  in 
my  belt  for  delivery. 

I  began  now  to  meet  more  and  more  evidences  of 
a  conflict  close  at  hand.  Wounded  men  predomi- 
nated in  the  current  of  humanity  drifting  past  me. 
Here  and  there  galloped  a  wounded,  riderless  horse, 
and  in  one  instance  a  frantic  wounded  one  was 
dragging  fragments  of  an  artillery  carriage. 

Before  me  a  dense  bank  of  smoke  clung  close  to 
the  ground,  and  from  it  there  came  the  sounds  of 
musketry,  like  bunches  of  Chinese  crackers  magni- 
fied hundreds  of  times ;  the  hoarse  spluttering  and 
shrieking  of  shells,  and  jarring  detonations  of 
artillery. 

"  Where  shall  I  find  General  Casey  ?  "  I  inquired 


130  JED'S  AbVENTUM^. 

of  a  wounded  and  liatless  artilleryman,  begrimed 
with  powder. 

"  Don't  know.  If  lie's  up  to  snuff,  guess  the  old 
man  is  taking  his  nooning  somewhere  in  the  woods," 
was  the  saucy  and  jocose  reply. 

Some  of  the  wounded  were  carried  in  blankets, 
which,  with  use  of  muskets,  were  converted  into 
stretchers.  Others,  with  characteristic  ingenuity, 
had  extemporized  crutches.  One  of  them  limped 
towards  me  with  a  reversed  musket  for  a  crutch, 
into  the  muzzle  of  which  he  had  fixed  a  round  stick 
to  bring  it  to  the  required  length.  He  was  a  tall, 
rusty  fellow  in  a  cavalryman's  suit,  and  so  be- 
grimed with  powder,  dirt,  and  blood  that  I  did  not 
recognize  him  until  he  spoke,  in  a  howl  of  bass  so 
deep  as  to  startle  me.  It  was  my  quondam  acquaint- 
ance, "Sonny,"  of  Williamsburg. 

"You're  in  bad  luck.  Sonny.  Are  you  hurt 
much  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  GoU  darn  it,  yes !  lost  my  horse  again,  and 
am  bleeding  like  a  pig.  And  see  here,"  removing 
his  hat,  and  showing  a  furrow  ploughed  by  a  bullet 
across  his  scalp. 

I  dismounted,  bandaged  his  wounds,  and  advised 
him  to  get  to  the  rear  for  surgical  aid  before  they 
stiffened. 

Prompted  by  information  I  had  just  received 
from  "  Sonny,"  I  turned  off  on  a  road  leading  farther 
to  the  left  to  find  General  Casey  and  deliver  my 
message.     Here  I  was  riding  near  the  railroad,  and 


m  THE  SADDLE.  131 

encountered  fewer  wounded  men  than  before.  Per- 
ceiving a  party  of  men  behind  a  fence  along  which 
grew  a  line  of  bushes  and  trees,  I  was  just  about 
to  inquire  for  General  Casey's  headquarters,  when 
there  came  the  order,  "  Halt !  "  As  I  reined  in  my 
horse  I  saw  my  mistake.  It  was  a  group  of  Con- 
federate infantry,  and  only  one  mounted  man  in 
the  party.  I  had  not  much  time  for  reflection,  but 
at  such  a  moment  thought  travels  quickly. 

"Who  comes  there?" 

"  An  orderly  with  despatches,"  I  re^^lied. 

"  For  whom?  "  came  the  inquiry. 

"  General  Magruder,"  I  replied,  mentioning  the 
name  of  the  only  Confederate  general  that  occurred 
to  me  at  that  instant. 

"  Let  me  see  your  despatches  !  "  said  the  officer. 

With  my  left  hand  I  held  towards  him  the  long 
official  envelope.  One  of  them  climbed  the  fence, 
when  with  my  right  hand  I  drew  my  revolver, 
fired,  wheeled,  and  lying  close  to  the  neck  of  my 
horse,  whistled  and  gave  her  free  rein,  then  swung 
myself  over  on  the  other  side  from  my  foes,  clinging 
to  her  with  feet  and  hands,  when,  as  I  had  antici- 
pated, crack !  crack !  came  the  sharp  report  of 
muskets  and  zip !  ping !  the  bullets  whispered 
around  my  ears.  Near  me  was  a  field  which  was 
on  the  verge  of  a  wood.  My  chance  of  escaping 
depended  on  my  reaching  this  shelter.  ^ly  horse 
seemed  to  understand  this,  for  she  kept  on  without 
my  guidance.     I  gave  one  glance  behind ;  a  man 


132  JED'S  ADVENfUkE^. 

mounted  on  a  powerful  gray  horse  was  following- 
after  me.  I  was  nearing  the  fence  over  which  I 
must  go  to  reach  the  protecting  shelter.  I  assumed 
an  erect  attitude,  and  put  my  horse  directly  at  the 
fence,  for  my  safety  depended  on  her  ability  to 
clear  it.  If  she  failed,  I  must  fight  it  out  with  the 
"  Johnnie  "  who  was  following.  She  cleared  the 
fence  !  I  was  near  the  woods,  —  and  I  looked  back. 
The  rebel's  horse  refused  the  fence  and  I  was  saved. 
He  fired  at  me  from  too  great  a  distance,  and  I 
could  hear  him  swearing  at  his  horse.  I  wheeled, 
and  shouted,  "  Holloa,  Johnnie  !  " 

Reaching  the  protection  of  the  woods  I  dis- 
mounted, examined  my  mare,  and  to  my  great  sat- 
isfaction found  her  unharmed.  I  led  her  throuofh 
the  tangled  undergrowth  until  we  reached  a  path 
which  led  beyond  danger.  This  done,  I  took  new 
directions  and  was  soon  again  near  the  uproar  of 
the  battle  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Union  lines.  I 
met  a  mounted  officer. 

'•'-  Where  is  General  Casey  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Right  over  there,"  he  replied. 

In  a  stump  lot  where  the  smoke  of  battle  hung 
near  the  ground,  I  found  a  group  of  officers,  and 
among  these  one  with  the  stars  of  a  general  on  his 
shoulder-straps. 

"  I'm  an  orderly  with  a  letter  for  General  Casey," 
I  said,  as  I  approached  the  group. 

"I  am  General  Casey,"  said  the  gray-headed 
officer  with  the  stars. 


tN  THE  SADDLE,  ISS 

I  handed  him  the  sealed  envelope.  He  read  it 
and  began  to  write  an  answer,  when  zip^  zm^  bang  ! 
the  enemy  began  dropping  shell  over  the  group, 
and  so  near  as  to  produce  a  stampede. 

"  They've  got  our  range ;  drive  a  little  to  the 
left,"  said  an  officer. 

While  the  group  was  re-assembling,  the  smoke, 
the  shouts  and  cheers,  and  firing  of  musketry  broke 
out  with  great  fury  on  our  front. 

"  They  are  driving  us  again ! "  remarked  an 
officer. 

"  Is  your  horse  fresh  ?  "  inquired  the  general  of 
me.  I  explained  that  I  had  been  on  the  road  since 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"We  have  already  sent  a  message  to  General 
Heintzelman,"  said  General  Casey,  dismissing  me. 
"  You  can  rest  your  horse  before  returning." 

General  Casey,  on  whom  the  attack  had  thus  far 
fallen,  finding  himself  hard  pushed  had  sent  to  Gen- 
eral Heintzelman,  who  commanded  the  left  wing 
of  the  army,  for  aid. 

The  troops  had  now  been  rallied,  and  at  the  time 
I  arrived.  Couch's  troops  and  the  wreck  of  Casey's 
division  were  struggling  against  great  odds  to 
hold  their  own. 

It  was  past  four  o'clock,  and  I  was  just  mounted 
to  return,  when  a  loud  cheer  came  from  a  column 
marching  to  the  scene  of  conffict.  It  came  from  a 
brigade  of  Kearney's  men,  commanded  by  Berry. 
This  brigade  went  into  the  woods  on  the  left,  where 


134  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

their  rifles  commanded  a  part  of  the  works  aban- 
doned %  Casey. 

"  We  can  hold  them  now,"  said  an  officer  confi- 
dently when  Berry's  men  arrived. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Sumner,  on  hearing 
the  firing,  had  crossed  the  frail  bridge  Avhich  I  have 
elsewhere  mentioned,  and  had  marched  through 
rain  and  mud  to  the  scene  of  the  conflict.  He 
arrived  at  an  opportune  moment.  As  Moreau 
chained  victory  to  the  standards  of  the  French  by 
flying  to  the  assistance  of  Napoleon  when  hard 
pressed  by  the  Austrians,  so  brave  Sumner,  by  this 
act  of  duty,  brought  victory  to  the  Union  army 
struggling  at  Seven  Pines  against  outnumbering 
foes. 

On  his  arrival,  five  of  his  regiments  charged  on 
the  enemy  in  the  woods  and  drove  them  back  in 
confusion.  The  lost  ground  was  recovered,  and 
the  shattered  divisions  took  up  their  old  positions 
at  Fair  Oaks  on  the  following  day. 

I  was  returning  to  the  Williamsburg  road  when 
I  came  upon  a  group  of  wounded  men  cooking  in  a 
ravine.  A  camp-kettle  of  beans,  held  by  a  cross- 
piece  resting  on  two  sticks'  set  in  the  ground,  was 
jubilantly  bubbling  over  a  fire.  Two  tin  drinking- 
cups,  in  which  coffee  was  being  made,  were  on  the 
coals.  One  soldier  was  frying  some  bacon,  while 
another  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  lean  chicken 
which  he  had  "  procured,"  as  he  termed  it,  the 
day  before  the  fight. 


IN  THE  SADDLE.  135 

''  What  men  are  you?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  belong  to  Company  K,  — tli  Mass.,"  said  the 
one  who  seemed  to  be  chief  cook  and  chief 
growler. 

"Quite  a  fight  goin'  on,"  drawled  the  soldier 
with  the  chicken.  His  trousers-leg  was  half  gone, 
and  the  bloody  bandages  around  his  limbs  showed 
the  nature  of  his  Avounds. 

"  That  ain't  agoin'  to  spoil  my  appetite,"  said 
the  chief  growler,  whose  wound  was  in  his  head, 
and  whose  ears  stood  out  combatively. 

"  If  the  rebs  come  on  to  us  they'll  catch  it,  if  I 
have  to  throw  this  'bean  hod  *  at  'em." 

"  Have  some  coffee  ?  "  said  another,  a  little  fellow, 
wounded  in  the  hand. 

I  was  very  hungry,  and  the  idea  of  dining  with 
the  party  did  not  strike  me  unfavorably.  I  dis- 
mounted, and  was  drinking  some  coffee,  and  munch- 
ing hard-tack  with  a  piece  of  fried  bacon  for  a  sand- 
wich, when  an  upioar  of  musketry  broke  out  in 
some  scrub-oaks  on  the  right  of  the  ravine.  The 
chief  cook  and  growler  crept  on  all-fours  to  the 
summit  of  the  little  knoll  (behind  which  we  were 
sheltered)  to  view  the  situation. 

"  What  do  yer  see  up  there?  "  inquired  my  com- 
rade of  the  chicken. 

His  answer  was  a  howl  from  the  chief  cook,  who 
came  rolling  over  and  over  down  the  hill,  with  a 
bleeding  ear.  Zip!  zip!  ping!  piny!  came  the 
bullets. 


136  JED'S  ADVEl^fUkn^. 

"  Darn  it !  can't  some  of  ye  go  up  thar  and  pep- 
per 'em  out  of  it?"  said  the  chief  cook,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes. 

No  one  accepted  the  offer.  The  soldier  with  the 
chicken  took  but  little  notice  apparently  of  these 
circumstances,  but,  with  the  forepiece  of  his  forage 
cap  pointing  skyward  at  right  angles,  was  intently 
occupied  with  his  chicken. 

The  cook  had  seized  a  musket  to  "  pepper  "  the 
intruders,  when  a  bullet  from  a  concealed  enemy 
tapped  the  camp-kettle  just  below  the  water  line. 
The  chief  cook,  forgetting  his  kindly  intentions 
towards  the  enemy  in  the  scrub-oaks,  exclaiming, 
"  Let  us  scoot !  "  seized  his  pet  kettle  of  beans,  and 
fled,  followed  with  more  or  less  celerity  by  the 
soldiers  with  the  coffee,  the  soldier  with  the 
hen,  the  soldier  with  the  frying-pan,  and,  not 
last,  the  soldier  with  the  horse.  In  fact  the 
whole  line  ''advanced  backwards,"  as  the  chief 
cook  and  growler  afterwards  said  in  describing 
the  retreat. 

Starting  out  once  more  from  a  base  of  safety, 
accompanied  by  my  comrade  with  the  hen,  mounted 
on  the  horse,  which  T  led,  I  once  more  reported  at 
headquarters.  I  was  surprised  to  find  General 
Grover,  with  his  brigade,  holding  the  position ;  while 
General  Hooker,  with  the  2d  and  3d  brigades,  had 
marched  to  the  battle-field,  leaving  with  General 
Grover  these  characteristic  instructions:  "Hold 
your  position  at  all  hazards." 


IN  THE  SADDLE.  137 

After  having  procured  surgical  aid  for  my  young 
friend  with  the  hen,  who  proved  to  be  Henry  Grace, 
a  soldier  of  my  own  division,  I  lay  down,  listening 
to  the  dull  reverberation  of  the  conflict,  which 
gradually  died  away  as  darkness  came  on. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

! 

RETREAT   TO   THE   JAMES   RIVER. 


IDEFORE  leaving  camp  the  next  morning,  I 
-^— ^  visited  Henry  Grace,  whose  coolness  the  day 
previous  had  greatly  impressed  me. 

I  found  the  surgeon  with  him,  probing  for  a 
bullet.  Grace  was  half  reclining,  watching  the  op- 
eration as  if  a  mere  spectator  instead  of  a  patient. 
The  probing  must  have  been  painful,  but  his  almost 
girlish  face  gave  no  indication  of  it.  As  I  came  to 
him,  his  face  lit  up  with  a  half-humorous  expres- 
sion, as  he  said  in  his  high-pitched  nasal  drawl,  — 

"  The  doctor  has  got  more  curiosity  about  this 
bullet's  track  than  I  have"  —  and  just  then  his 
face  grew  a  trifle  paler,  as  if  the  doctor  had  touched 
a  tender  spot. 

"  There  !  "  said  the  doctor,  triumphantly  holding 
up  a  flattened  bullet  as  a  result  of  his  researches. 

"Is  that  all  ?  "  inquired  Grace. 

"  Well,  just  a  bandage  and  cold  water  dressing 
will  do  for  a  time.  Here,  Quinn,"  addressing  his 
attendant,  "  put  a  bandage  on  this  leg,"  and  then 
gathering  up  a  formidable  array  of  instruments, 
including  saws,  the  surgeon  withdrew. 

^'  Ye's  lucky,  me  bye  I  "  said  the  Irish  helper  to 
1?.6 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       139 

Grace,  "  sure  some  of  thim  gintlemen  of  the  pur- 
farsion  would  a  sawed  the  leg  off  of  ye  instead  of 
probing  it ! " 

"You  surely  don't  think  they'd  cut  a  leg  off 
needlessly,  Pat?  "  I  inquired. 

"Sure  it's  not  for  me  to  criticise,"  replied  Quinn, 
"  but  it's  the  divil's  own  habit  these  gintlemen  are 
getting  of  cutting  off  legs  instead  of  curing  thim. 
It  was  sax  good  legs  I  threw  into  a  trench  yes- 
terday." 

"  Stop  that  blathering  and  don't  wind  the  band- 
age so  tight ! "  interrupted  Grace,  in  a  tone  that 
was  cutting  in  its  iciness,  and  showed  he  could 
repel  familiarity,  notwithstanding  his  easy-going 
good-natured  manner. 

After  a  few  moments'  conversation  with  Grace, 
I  took  my  leave. 

On  my  arrival  at  Fair  Oaks  again  I  found  our 
brigade  occupying  an  advanced  position.  The  rebel 
army  had  mostly  withdrawn  to  the  defence  of  Rich- 
mond, and  General  Johnson,  its  commander,  had 
been  wounded  during  the  battle. 

As  I  rode  up,  heavy  skirmisliing  was  going  on 
with  their  rearguard,  which  in  withdivawing  had 
accidentally  become  entangled  with  a  portion  of 
Sumner's  line. 

The  next  day  our  army  re-occupied  its  old  posi- 
tion, only  our  division  had  exchanged  places  ^Yii\\ 
that  previously  occupied  by  Casey's  men.  In  these 
intrenchments,  and  around  the  two-storied,  square, 


140  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

box-like  "  twin  houses,"  where  the  battle  had  surged, 
there  were  vivid  reminders  of  the  fight. 

The  dead  were  not  yet  all  buried.  Battery  horses 
encumbered  the  field,  while  the  trees,  fences,  tents, 
camp-kettles,  and  cracker-boxes  showed  the  marks 
of  the  bullets.  Scattered  over  the  ground  were 
pieces  of  harness,  broken  muskets,  and  all  the  debris 
of  a  battle-Avrecked  camp.  The  enemy's  dead  in 
the  surrounding  swamps,  where  they  could  not  be 
reached,  were  already  defiling  the  air. 

The  process  of  clearing  the  battle-field  began  at 
once.  Rails  and  brush  were  heaped  over  the  dead 
horses  and  set  on  fii'e,  the  dead  were  buried,  and 
once  more  the  field  resumed  its  ordinary  appear- 
ance, and  the  army  its  regular  routine  of  duties. 

For  several  days  succeeding,  it  rained  as  though 
a  deluge  was  impending,  and  a  period  of  suffocat- 
ing heat  ensued.  The  swamj)s  and  stagnant  pools 
threw  off  exhalations  of  miasma,  prolific  of  disease 
and  death. 

Constant  skirmishes,  meanwhile,  occurred  on  our 
outposts.  A  general  conflict  at  times  seemed  so 
imminent  that  on  one  day  the  call  to  fall  in  was 
sounded  eight  times  at  headquarters,  and  men  were 
kept  in  line  for  hours,  in  readiness  for  battle. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  while  carrying  orders,  I 
visited  my  regiment,  which  had  that  day  been 
advanced  through  swamps,  thickets,  and  brier- 
entangled  woods,  and  had  captured  two  rebel 
sharpshooters,  perched  in  the  trees, 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       141 

Captain  Gruff  was  coming  out  of  his  tent  to  meet 
me,  when  a  shot  from  the  enemy  passed  through 
his  tent  and  struck  the  ground  a  dozen  paces  in  his 
rear. 

"  Glat  to  see  you,  Dick,"  said  my  captain ;  and 
then,  with  a  look  of  disgust,  and  pointing  with  his 
thumb  over  his  shoulder,  said,  referring  to  the  shot 
just  fired,  "  Dit  you  effer  see  such  foolishness  as 
dot?" 

"Do  you  have  much  of  this  foolishness  here ?  " 
I  inquired. 

''  Shust  all  the  time.  They  is  cutting  oup,  march- 
ing, countermarching,  and  shooting  like  mat.  Dem 
sharpshooters  I  shust  sent  to  Sheneral  Hooker  says 
dot  Magruder  is  in  command,  and  they  is  oup  to 
mischief  somevare." 

"Do  you  think  they  will  attack  us  here?"  I 
inquired. 

"  No :  they  plays  mit  us  here,  but  strikes  some- 
vare else,"  was  the  shrewd  reply  of  the  old  soldier. 

And  so  it  proved.  Stonewall  Jackson,  marching 
up  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  alarming  the  ad- 
ministration for  the  safety  of  Washington,  had 
slipped  between  his  pursuers,  sent  out  to  bag  him, 
and  was  even  then  within  striking  distance  of  our 
right  wing  at  Mechanics ville. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  while  riding  to  the 
different  encampments,  I  heard  the  dull  reverbera- 
tions of  distant  cannonading. 

It  was  the  attack  of  sixty  thousand  men,  under 


142  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

General  Lee  at  Gaines'  Mill,  on  Fitz  John  Porter 
with  thirty  thousand. 

Magruder,  meanwhile,  was  holding  the  lines  in 
our  front  before  Richmond  with  twenty-five  thou- 
sand. 

McClellan  had  now  planned  to  extricate  his  army 
from  its  false  position  by  a  retreat  to  a  safer  base 
on  the  James  River. 

It  was  a  judicious  and  safe  plan,  though  forced 
upon  him,  instead  of  being  a  matter  of  his  choice. 

On  arriving  at  Captain  Gruff's  quarters  I  found 
him,  as  usual,  in  the  SAveltering  heat,  with  his  coat 
buttoned  tight  at  the  neck,  puffing  away  at  his  pipe 
with  a  far  away,  thoughtful  look  in  his  eyes. 

"  What's  the  matter,  captain  ?  "  I  inquired.  "  Are 
the  people  on  the  other  side  acting  foolishly  again  ?  " 

"  They  shust  acts  like  mat  all  der  time,"  was  his 
response,  working  liis  goatee  excitedly  over  his 
nose  like  the  rammer  of  a  musket  in  the  act  of 
loadino-. 

The  enemy  made  feints  upon  our  entire  line. 
On  the  28th  our  advanced  positions,  taken  on  the 
25tli,  were  abandoned. 

Marcliing  orders  came  with  the  morning.  As  I 
rode  to  the  different  encampments,  men  on  every 
side  were  engaged  in  destroying  clothing,  provisions, 
and  ammunition.  Shot  and  shell  were  thrown  into 
pools  and  brooks,  tents  and  clothing  were  cut  into 
shreds,  canteens  and  camjD-kettles  were  punched 
with  bayonets,  barrels  of  sugar,  whiskey,  and  vine- 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       143 

gar  were  overturned  on  the  ground.  No  fires  were 
allowed  in  this  work  of  destruction,  because  they 
would  excite  suspicion.  On  my  return  to  head- 
quarters in  the  morning  I  found  General  Hooker 
superintending  the  destruction  of  his  personal 
baggage. 

Everything  betokened  that  this  army,  which 
had  been  thundering  at  the  gates  of  Richmond,  was 
about  to  turn  back  in  retreat.  The  rank  and  file 
could  only  imperfectly  surmise  the  position  of 
affairs,  most  of  them  professing  to  believe  in  a 
strategic  move  on  Richmond. 

The  march  soon  began.  Baggage  wagons,  herds 
of  cattle,  marching  columns  enveloped  in  dust,  were 
seen  on  all  the  roads  converging  at  Savage  Sta- 
tion. Here  a  line  of  battle  was  formed  in  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  extending  a  mile  to  the  right,  with 
batteries  planted  in  the  clearing  in  front. 

Toward  the  Chickahominy  was  now  seen  the 
smoke  of  burning  bridges,  stores,  and  munitions  of 
war. 

At  the  hospital  camp  of  five  thousand  sick  and 
wounded  men  there  was  much  excitement  on 
account  of  tliis  unwonted  activity. 

Near  this  point  I  again  encountered  Sonny,  the 
cavalryman,  whose  wounds  were  almost  healed,  but 
who  was  in  his  usual  demoralized  condition.  He 
was  covered  with  dust,  and  without  blanket,  jacket, 
or  knapsack,  but  in  perfect  good  humor,  notwith- 
standing such  trifles. 


144  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Learning  that  my  acquaintance,  Henry  Grace, 
was  at  the  hospital,  I  went,  accompanied  by  Sonny, 
to  look  liim  up,  and  advise  him  to  get  away  if 
possible. 

The  hospital  camj)  was  established  on  a  hillside, 
on  which  grew  a  few  stunted  peach-trees,  and  con- 
sisted of  tents  and  one  house,  Avith  its  surrounding 
negro  quarters. 

The  inmates  presented  a  pitiful  sight.  Many, 
victims  of  the  swamp  fever,  were  mere  skeletons, 
and  high-pitched,  piteous  tones  of  complaint,  en- 
treaty, or  inquiry  were  heard  on  every  side. 

The  air  was  quivering  with  heat,  the  earth  baked 
and  barren,  and  the  air  filled  with  the  offensive  ef- 
fluvium peculiar  to  a  crowded  hospital.  For  a  time 
I  could  find  no  trace  of  my  friend,  and  I  was  about 
to  abandon  further  search  when  the  attitude  of  a 
soldier  sitting  under  a  tree  some  distance  from  me 
arrested  my  attention.  The  visor  of  his  cap  pointed 
upward  at  a  defiant  angle,  while  his  collected,  "  go 
as  you  please  "  manner  told  me  it  was  Grace.  He 
was  eating  diminutive  green  peaches,  and,  as  we 
approached,  greeted  me  with  "  Hallo !  orderly, 
what's  up  ?  " 

"  Well,  we  may  take  Richmond  or  take  to  the 
James  River,"  said  Sonny,  without  waiting  for  my 
reply. 

"  Whew  !  whose  steeple  are  you  ?  "  said  Grace 
sarcastically,  looking  upward  at  tlie  towering  foria 
of  Sonny. 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       145 

"  Me  ?  "  replied  Sonny,  nothing  abashed,  "  I'm  a 
dismounted  cavahyman  in  search  of  a  horse.  Say, 
you ;  ain't  you  afraid  you'll  hurt  your  Latin  inter- 
nal parts  with  them  air  cholera  bullets  you  are 
tucking  away  there  ?  " 

Grace  paid  no  heed  to  this  reply,  but  pursued 
the  "  tucking-aAvay  "  process  as  he  resumed  the 
broken  thread  of  our  conversation. 

"  What's  the  army  up  to  ?  "  interrogated  Grace. 
In  answer  I  pointed  to  the  clouds  of  black  smoke 
which  rose  at  different  points  along  the  railroad, 
marking  the  destruction  of  stores. 

On  the  hill  opposite  to  the  camp  was  a  heap  of 
blue  uniforms,  boxes  and  barrels  of  clotliino-  and 
provisions,  piled  up  for  destruction. 

"  I  need  a  pair  of  trousers  and  a  coat.  Guess  I'll 
go  over  and  get  some,"  said  Sonny.  In  a  few 
moments  he  came  back  very  angry. 

"  What's  the  matter.  Sonny?"  I  inquired. 
"That  lunk-headed  officer  wouldn't  give  me  a 
thing.    Said  he'd  been  ordered  to  destroy  the  stuff, 
and  couldn't  account  for  the  property  if  men  were 
supplied  from  the  stores." 

"  That's  red  tape  with  a  vengeance,"  said  Grace,  . 
sympathetically. 

That  afternoon  Grace,  mindful  of  my  advice, 
hobbled  into  line  and  joined  the  exodus,  rather 
than  take  his  chances  staying  at  the  hospital  camp. 
Sonny  insisted  that  the  movement  was  not  a  retreat, 
only  a  flank  movement  on  Richmond. 


146  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

As  I  have  elsewhere  intimated,  there  were  many 
of  his  opinion  at  the  time.  The  army  pushed  on, 
crowding  the  narrow  defile  that  crosses  White  Oak 
Swamp.  It  had  at  least  the  compensating  advan- 
tage that,  while  moving  in  that  direction,  it  was 
preserved  from  a  flank  attack. 

About  five  o'clock  we  heard  the  roar  of  battle  in 
our  rear,  where  brave  Sumner  was  engaging  the 
enemy  at  Savage's  Station,  and  where  he  beat 
them  in  the  encounter.  That  night  he  obeyed 
orders  and  retreated,  in  order  that  he  might  not  be 
cut  off  from  the  main  army,  leaving  the  hospital 
camp  of  five  thousand  miserables  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy. 

The  next  day,  the  30th  of  June,  our  division  had 
halted  near  the  church  at  Glendale;  and  active 
cannonading  at  White  Oak  bridge,  which  had  been 
destroyed,  showed  that  Jackson  was  following 
closely  on  the  heels  of  the  retreating  army.  The 
army  of  Lee  had,  meanwhile,  learned  of  our  move- 
ments, and  had  sent  a  large  force  around  through 
Richmond  to  intercept  our  retreat. 

Our  position  at  Glendale  was  the  key  point  where 
they  hoped  to  break  through  our  lines,  divide  the 
army,  capture  its  trains,  and  overwhelm  it  in  dis- 
astrous defeat.  Here  we  waited  all  the  forenoon, 
while  our  train  wagons,  herds  of  cattle,  and  troops 
passed  over  the  hot  and  dusty  road. 

Longs treet  and  Hill  attacked  by  the  Newmarket 
road  in  the  afternoon.     McCall's  division  of  Penn- 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       147 

sylvanians,  stretched  at  right  angles  across  the 
Newmarket  road,  and  parallel  and  in  front  of  the 
Quaker  road,  was  first  assailed  about  thi^ee  o'clock. 
The  batteries  in  front  of  this  line  were  also  fiercely 
charged,  and  the  cannoneers  driven  from  their  guns. 

Our  left,  held  b}^  Seymour's  brigade,  was  mean- 
while doubled  up  by  a  fierce  attack  and  driven  in 
between  Sumner  on  the  left  and  the  position  we 
were  holding. 

Our  line  was  soon  ordered  to  advance,  and  went 
in  on  the  double-quick  to  regain  the  lost  ground. 
I  saw  my  regiment  with  the  rest ;  Captain  Gruff 
A\dth  drawn  sword,  and  with  the  grim  composure  on 
his  red  face,  common  to  him  in  times  of  danger. 

Some  of  McCall's  men  came  rushing  from  the 
front  calling  out,  — 

"  We're  whipped  I  we're  whipped !  " 

"My  men  are  all  cut  to  pieces,"  exclaimed  an 
excited  officer. 

"  Dry  up,  you  old  fool,"  said  some  one  from  our 
ranks. 

"Sure  we  don't  need  any  cavalry  to  keep  us 
from  running  away,"  shouted  a  voice  that  I  rec- 
ognized as  that  of  my  old  friend  O'Keif,  who  was 
now  a  lieutenant. 

Then  the  din  of  musketry,  the  cannonade,  the 
long  yell  of  the  Confederates,  and  the  hurrah  of 
the  Union  soldiers,  showed  that  our  lines  were 
fiercely  engaged  with  the  enemy.  Another  voice 
of  battle  was  also  soon  heard :    the  boom  of  the 


148  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

heavy  guns  on  our  gunboats  on  the  James  River. 
Their  shells  struck  the  ranks  of  our  enemy  on  the 
left,  and,  we  afterwards  learned,  produced  great 
consternation. 

When  nearly  dark  I  found  my  old  regiment 
holding  the  road  the  enemy  had  entered  that  after- 
noon. Captain  Gruff  was  engaged  in  stationing 
pickets  on  all  the  paths  leading  from  the  adjacent 
swamps  and  woods. 

"  Dis  swamp  is  full  of  '  rebs,'  and  ef  we  keeps 
still  we  gobbles  dem,"  said  the  captain,  with  a 
wise  nod,  when  I  asked  him  what  was  going  on. 

As  it  grew  darker  we  could  hear  those  who  were 
separated  from  their  commands,  and  who  were 
wandering  around  in  the  swamps,  calling  out  the 
name  of  their  regiments  and  companies. 

Our  men,  instructed  by  Captain  Gruff,  an- 
swered them  as  if  from  their  friends,  directing 
them  into  the  Union  lines,  where  they  were  cap- 
tured. 

A  large  number  of  prisoners,  in  this  way,  were 
brought  into  our  lines.  Most  of  them  were  poorly 
clad  in  butternut  and  gray  homespun,  with  strips 
of  carpet  for  blankets.  Few  had  knapsacks,  but 
wore  their  blankets  over  their  shoulders  with  the 
ends  tied  together  under  the  left  arm. 

One  of  these  prisoners  was  a  captain,  and  accosted 
Captain  Gruff  Avith  extended  hand,  — 

"  Hullo,  sergeant !  Don't  you  remember  me  ?  " 

The  captain  did  not  remember  him,  but  I  at  once 


RETREAT  TO   THE  JAMES  RIVER.       149 

recognized  him  as  Walker,  the  man  who  had  es- 
caped from  the  guard  Avhile  under  court-martial  at 
Fort  Monroe.  He  afterwards  informed  us  that 
his  father  was  a  prominent  Virginian,  and  that  his 
escape  had  been  connived  at  by  the  officers  at  the 
time  it  occurred. 

The  next  morning  our  troops  took  possession  of 
Malvern  Hill,  where  the  Confederates  made  a  suc- 
cession of  daring  attacks  and  met  with  bloody 
repulses.  This  was  the  last  of  the  seven  days' 
battle  and  retreat,  during  which  the  Union  army 
inflicted  a  loss  of  twenty  thousand  men  on  the 
Confederacy,  while  sust^-ining  a  loss  of  only  fif- 
teen thousand. 

The  physical  results  were  in  our  favor,  but  the 
moral  results  were  with  the  Confederates,  who  had 
raised  the  siege  of  Richmond,  and  had  caused  the 
Union  army  to  retreat  from  its  position.  I  did  not 
witness  the  arrival  of  the  army  on  the  James  River, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  PRISONER. 

"TT  was  twilight  when  I  began  my  return  from 
-*-  Captain  Gruff's.  As  I  rode  along  the  darkling 
woods,  I  thought  over  the  events  of  the  campaign ; 
wondering  whero  Jed  was ;  and  was  soon  in  that 
half-dreamy  condition  of  mind  in  which  one  acts 
mechanically,  while  his  thoughts  are  far  away  from 
liis  surroundings. 

In  the  midst  of  these  reveries  I  was  brought  to 
myself  by  the  restive  conduct  of  my  horse,  which 
was  nervously  jerking  at  the  bit,  as  if  to  attract  my 
attention.     I  spoke  to  her  sharply,  when,  — 

"  Halt !  Who  goes  there  ?  "  came  a  sharp  per- 
emptory challenge. 

In  the  gathering  darkness  I  could  not  distinguish 
my  challenger,  but  I  replied,  — 

"An  orderly  with  orders.  What  troops  are 
those?" 

"  The  60th  North  Carolinas,"  came  the  reply. 

"  I  see  that  I  am  on  the  wrong  road,"  I  said, 
now  recovering  my  presence  of  mind,  for  I  at  once 
perceived  that  I  must  get  away  quickly  if  I  did  not 
wish  to  go  to  Richmond  sooner  than  the  army  did. 

At  the  same  instant  I  wheeled,  and  clinging  to 

150 


A   PRISONER.  151 

my  horse  with  my  face  to  her  neck  urged  her  for- 
ward. 

The  report  of  muskets  and  the  ping  of  bullets 
around  my  ears  showed  that  I  had  acted  none  too 
soon. 

I  had  not  gone  more  than  five  hundred  yards, 
when  I  heard  the  measured  tread  of  a  marching 
column  approaching  me  from  the  opposite  direction. 
As  I  listened  I  could  distinguish  the  sharp  though 
suppressed  tones  of  command,  and  was  satisfied 
that  a  regiment  was  marching  down  the  road. 
Were  they  friends,  or  foes? 

I  drew  my  horse  into  the  edge  of  the  wood 
which  skirted  the  road,  and,  as  if  understanding 
my  purpose,  she  stood  as  still  as  if  made  of  bronze 
or  stone.  The  least  motion  must  have  betrayed 
us,  the  road  was  so  narrow. 

I  was  still  uncertain  whether  the  column  was 
Federal  or  Confederate  when  the  word  "  Yanks  " 
from  some  one  in  the  passing  column  satisfied  me 
that  they  were  enemies. 

It  seemed  an  hour  when  the  last  file  of  men 
passed,  and  I  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  I  did 
not  realize  until  then  what  a  tension  had  been  put 
upon  my  nerves. 

I  was  now  quite  confident  that  there  were  no 
enemies  on  my  route.  My  horse,  however,  soon 
began  to  act  as  if  she  suspected  danger. 

Thus  warned,  I  walked  her  slowly  doAvn  the 
road,  until  some  one  cried  out  ''  Halt !  Halt  I  "  ac- 


152  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

companied  by  the  ominous  click  of  cocking  mus- 
kets, and  at  the  same  time  my  bridle  was  seized. 

"What  troops  are  these?"  I  inquired. 

"  Third  Alabama,"  was  the  response. 

"  I  have  just  come  from  the  60tli  Carolina,  and 
am  in  a  hurry ;  let  go  my  bridle  !  "  I  exclaimed, 
trying  to  turn  my  horse. 

"  That  card  don't  take  the  trick,  Yank,"  said  a 
voice. 

Trusting  to  the  darkness  I  fired  my  revolver  at 
the  man  holding  my  horse,  and  at  the  same  time 
urged  the  horse  forward.  It  was  a  failure.  My 
revolver  missed  its  aim. 

I  was  now  roughly  pulled  from  my  horse  and 
was  a  prisoner. 

"  If  you  have  any  papers,  hand  them  over  here," 
was  sharply  commanded. 

A  lantern  was  procured,  and  I  was  searched,  and 
then  marched  up  the  road  under  guard.  We  soon 
came  to  a  fire,  around  which  were  grouped  several 
officers.  Here  an  officer  with  three  stars  on  his 
collar  sharply  questioned  me.  I  was  not  very  care- 
ful to  answer  his  questions  correctly,  for  I  knew 
enough  of  military  usage  to  know  that  by  correct 
answers  I  might  give  very  important  information 
to  the  enemy. 

"  This  man,"  said  the  officer,  "  either  knows  too 
much  or  too  little  for  our  purpose." 

As  I  was  led  from  this  unsought  conference,  I 
asked  my  guard,  "  What  officer  is  that  ?  " 


A  PRISONER.  153 

"  That  is  General  Longstreet :  he's  our  general, 
and  I  reckon  he's  'bout  the  best  general  we  uns 
have  got,  except  Uncle  Robert." 

"Who's  Uncle  Robert?"  I  queried. 

"  Why,  General  Lee.  We  uns  will  be  in  Wash- 
ington next  week,  and  I  reckon  the  whole  durned 
Yankee  nation  will  know  Uncle  Robert  by  that 
time." 

I  lay  by  a  fire  under  guard  all  night,  not  sleeping 
much,  but  going  over  and  over  with  the  scenes  of 
the  evening  which  I  have  here  briefly  recounted. 
When  morning  came,  I,  with  about  twenty  other 
prisoners,  was  hurried  on  to  Richmond. 

As  we  arrived  at  the  spot  where  I  had  been 
questioned  the  previous  evening,  I  saw  a  keen- 
eyed  mounted  officer,  very  straight  and  dignified, 
talking  with  General  Longstreet. 

"  What  officer  is  that  ? "  I  inquired  of  the 
guard. 

"  That's  General  Lee,"  was  the  reply. 

As  we  were  halted  near  this  spot,  I  saw  my 
horse  led  out  and  mounted  by  a  young  officer. 

"  If  you  will  watch  that  horse  and  officer,"  said 
I  to  the  talkative  sergeant  of  the  guard,  "  you'll 
see  some  fun." 

The  officer  mounted,  took  the  bridle  carelessly, 
and  rode  off  at  a  canter ;  when,  quick  as  a  flash,  the 
little  horse  ploughed  her  front  feet  into  the  dust, 
and  threw  up  her  heels  with  a  flourish  of  those 
members,  as  if  she  intended  to  kick  out  the  sky. 


154  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

The  officer,  taken  unawares,  was  pitched  over  her 
head. 

The  whole  squad  laughed,  but  the  dismounted 
officer  did  not.  He  attempted  to  catch  her,  but 
she  evaded  him  as  nimbly  as  a  dog.  After  several 
trials  had  been  made,   I  said  to  an  officer  near,  — 

"  I  Avill  catch  her,  if  you  wish  me  to  ?  " 

The  officer  assented.  I  gave  a  peculiar  whistle, 
and  she  came  to  me  as  if  overjoyed  at  once  more 
seeing  me. 

"  This  is  my  blanket  strapped  to  her,"  I  said  to 
the  officer  whom  I  had  previously  addressed. 

"  No,  sir,  it's  mine,"  said  the  officer  snappishly. 

Before  they  could  take  her  bridle  from  my  hands, 
I  gave  her  a  signal  and  off  she  pranced  again,  kick- 
ing at  everything  she  passed,  and  all  attempts  to 
catch  her  proved  unavailing. 

The  officer  who  had  first  mounted  her  came  up, 
and  after  speaking  a  few  words  to  the  officer  with 
whom  I  had  been  speaking,  said  to  me,  — 

"  Catch  that  horse,  and  you  shall  have  your 
blanket." 

I  again  called  her,  and,  neighing  and  capering, 
she  came  in  response  to  my  call,  and  rubbed  her 
nose  against  my  arm. 

My  heart  sank,  and  I  almost  cried  at  the  thought 
of  parting  with  her.  The  young  officer  loosened 
my  blanket  and  handed  it  to  me,  saying,  — 

"  She's  a  beautiful  creature,  and  I  am  sorry  that 
you  must  lose  her,  but  it  is  the  fortune  of  war," 


A  PRISONER.  155 

I  replied,  "  If  you  treat  her  firmly  but  kindly, 
she  will  behave  well.     Don't  strike  her." 

The  officer  replied  politely,  "  I  thank  you,  sir  I 
I  love  a  horse  and  will  treat  her  well." 

As  we  marched  away,  I  again  saw  my  little  horse 
prancing  over  fences  and  ditches  in  the  direction 
of  Richmond,  a23parently  defying  every  effort  to 
catch  her. 

A  two  hours'  march  now  brought  us  to  the  rebel 
capital.  There  were  no  vehicles  in  its  streets. 
Here  and  there  groups  of  women  on  the  sidewalks 
anxiously  interrogated  our  guards.  I  was  told 
that  almost  every  house  was  being  prepared  for  a 
hospital.  The  prisoners  were  allowed  to  go  into 
the  shops  to  buy  bread.  In  one  of  the  shops  an 
Irishwoman  treated  me  to  raspberry  wine,  and 
gave  me  a  loaf  of  bread. 

"Do  you  think  McClellan  will  get  into  Rich- 
mond with  his  army  ?  "  inquired  the  woman. 

''  Yes,"  I  repHed,  "  the  Yankee  army  will  be  here 
in  a  week." 

'^  And  sure  I  hope  they  will,"  said  she,  with  a 
sigh :  "  we  don't  dare  say  our  soul's  our  own,  and 
I'm  agin  this  government,  anpvay." 

We  were  marched  along  by  the  side  of  the  canal 
on  Carey  Street,  where  several  naked  boys,  bathing, 
shook  their  tiny  clinched  fists  at  us,  shouting  in 
tones  of  threat  and  derision. 

We  were  soon  halted  before  an  isolated  three- 
story  block,  near  and  in  line  of  the  canal,  on  one 


156  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

corner  of  which  was  displayed  the  sign,  "Libby 
and  Son,  Ship  Chandlers  and  Grocers."  Here  we 
were  conducted  up  a  steep  and  filthy  staircase  to  a 
large  room,  in  which  there  was  an  ordinary  heating 
stove,  and  in  one  corner  of  the  room  was  a  large 
round  tank  supplied  with  James  River  water. 

The  building  had  just  been  cleared  of  prisoners, 
and  the  air  was  reeking  with  the  effluvium  of 
wounds  and  sickness.  The  stench  was  so  terrible 
that  one  instinctivel}^  field  his  breath. 

From  this  room  we  were  taken  to  the  third  story, 
next  the  roof,  where  the  air  was  still  worse,  and 
where  we  found  about  a  hundred  other  prisoners. 
No  food  was  given  us  that  day. 

In  a  few  days  more,  the  wounded  prisoners  from 
Savage's  Station  were  added  to  our  numbers, 
some  with  amputated  limbs,  others  with  unhealed, 
festering  wounds,  and  all  suffering  from  heat  and 
fatigue.  Here  they  were  marshalled,  regardless  of 
their  sufferings,  jostling  against  each  other's  hurts 
as  they  staggered  in.  The  room  was  soon  filled 
to  suffocation  with  inmates ;  there  was  scarcely 
room  to  lie  down. 

The  cracks  and  crevices  swarmed  with  vermin. 
The  hot  sun  beat  on  the  low  roof  above  us  until 
the  heat  became  so  unendurable  that  men  were 
constantly  crowding  to  the  windows  and  exclaim- 
ing, "  I  shall  die  unless  I  get  fresh  air." 

When  rations  were  issued,  men  struggled  with 
each  other  for  the  contents  of  the  buckets  of  soup 


A   PRISONER.  157 

and  the  meagre  pieces  of  bread.  The  prisoners 
fought  with  each  other  for  a  fair  division,  while 
those  who  distributed  the  food  were  more  intent 
on  finishing  their  duties  quickly,  than  in  doing 
them  properly. 

For  several  weeks  previous  to  my  capture  I  had 
had  symptoms  of  swamp  fever.  I  became  weak 
and  nervous,  and  in  attempting  to  rise  one  day, 
fell  unconscious. 

"  Got  a  fever,  old  chap,  I  guess,"  said  a  fellow- 
prisoner  in  kindly  tones. 

"  How  does  a  fever  begin  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  You  are  cold  and  shivering  one  moment,  and 
the  next  you  are  burning  up,"  was  the  laconic  an- 
swer. 

"  I  guess  that's  what's  the  matter,  for  that's  a  de- 
scriptive list  of  my  feelings,"  I  replied. 

That  night  I  could  not  sleep,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing was  weak  and  trembling,  and  hardly  able  to 
stand. 

"Any  one  got  any  quinine?"  asked  a  gruff  and 
familiar  voice. 

I  turned  to  the  questioner,  but  could  not  recog- 
nize the  face,  which  was  turned  from  the  light. 

"  Isn't  it  Sonny  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  By  gosh,  that's  what  they  give  me  in  place  of 
a  name,  sometimes,  but  who  on  earth  air  you? 
Jerusalem!  if  it  isn't  the  little  orderly;"  for 
though  I  was  by  no  means  little,  thus  Sonny  always 
designated  me. 


158  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  You  look  all  beat  out,  and  '  powerful '  far  gone, 
as  the  rebs  say." 

"  How  did  they  get  you?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Well,"  he  replied,  "  I  was  with  a  lot  of  other 
fellows  coming  across  White  Oak  swamp;  they 
were  a  sick  and  wounded  crowd,  and  I  was  the 
only  one  of  'em  with  a  musket.  The  rebs  began 
to  tag  close  to  our  heels,  so  I  said,  sez  I,  '  You  fel- 
lers make  tracks  as  fa,st  as  you  can,  and  I'll  cover 
your  retreat.'  They  got  away,  and  the  rebs  got 
me." 

About  nine  o'clock  that  morning  a  Confederate 
officer  came  into  our  room,  saying,  — 

''  All  you  Yanks,  who  want  to  get  out  of  this 
hole  and  go  to  Belle  Isle,  where  there  is  good  air 
and  running  water  and  trees,  get  your  traps  to- 
gether lively  and  tumble  out  here." 

To  me  at  the  time,  fresh  air  and  plenty  of  water 
seemed  the  most  desirable  things  on  earth.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  into  line  with  a  crowd  of  strug- 
gling sick  and  hungry  miserables  to  go  to  Belle  Isle. 

The  name  of  this  place  itself  seemed  to  speak  of 
shade  and  comfort,  and  had  not  then  become  a 
synonym  of  suffering  and  imprisonment.  As  I  fell 
into  line,  I  saw  a  man  near  me  who  looked  so  much 
like  Jed  that  I  called  out,  "  Jed !  Jed !  don't  you 
know  me,  Jed  ?  " 

The  man  stood  still,  without  one  look  or  motion 
of  recognition,  and  soon  moved  away,  I  was  mis- 
taken, and  yet  it  seemed  impossible. 


A    PRISONER,  159 

Was  the  guard  right  when,  looking  at  me  com- 
passionately, he  said,  — 

"  I  reckon  ye'd  better  not  go  down  to  Belle  Isle ; 
it's  a  right  hard  place,  old  hoss,  and  ye  ain't  quite 
right  here,"  tapping  his  forehead  significantly. 

However,  I  persisted.  There  did  not  seem  to  be 
any  place  worse  than  the  one  I  was  leaving,  and  I 
might  get  into  one  that  was  better.  This  kindly 
Virginian  carried  my  blanket  and  haversack,  and 
helped  me  along  as  best  he  could. 

The  sun  was  very  hot  during  the  first  part  of 
our  march,  but  soon  the  sky  became  overcast  with 
signs  of  an  approaching  storm.  Many  of  those 
marching  to  Belle  Isle  were,  like  myself,  sick,  and 
hence  the  march  was  slow. 

After  crossing  the  long  railroad  bridge  which 
spans  the  river  from  the  Manchester  side  to  Belle 
Isle,  it  began  to  rain ;  and  we  were  halted  in  an  old 
rolling-mill,  where  I  lay  down,  thoroughly  worn 
out  with  fever  and  exhaustion,  and  my  head  racked 
with  pain. 

At  last  we  reached  the  Belle  Isle  prison  camp, 
where  all  my  hopes  of  comfortable  quarters  were 
dispelled.  The  ground  of  the  camp  was  almost  on 
a  level  with  the  James  River,  and  was  wet,  and  in 
places  overflowed. 

The  guard  who  had  carried  my  blanket  here  left 
me,  and  I  was  without  friends,  or  even  shelter  from 
the  pitiless  storm.  The  few  ragged  tents  were 
crowded  with  men,  and  there  was  no  room  for  me. 


160  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

The  inky  blackness  of  night  came  on,  relieved 
only  by  vivid  lightning  flashes.  I  became  delirious 
and  unconscious  by  turns ;  I  could  hear  a  voice 
Avhich  I  sometimes  recognized  as  my  own,  shriek- 
ing with  unnatural  laughter,  singing  in  discordant 
strains,  or  muttering  unmeaning  phrases. 

I  remembered  notliing  more  of  what  occurred  for 
days.  One  morning  (which  seemed  but  the  next 
morning  after)  I  awoke,  and,  framed  in  the  entrance 
of  the  small  tent  in  which  I  lay,  saw  Jed's  face  look- 
ing in  upon  me  with  kindly  interest. 

A  great  rush  of  gladness  came  to  my  heart  as  I 
feebly  reached  out  my  hand  to  him,  and  faintly, 
but  with  the  eagerness  with  which  the  thirsty  ask 
for  drink,  cried,  "  Jed  !  Jed !  " 

I  feared  at  first  that  this  was  but  a  creature  of 
my  fancy,  like  the  many  other  imaginings  of  my 
fevered  brain,  of  which  I  retained  a  dim  remem- 
brance. When  Jed  came  and  sat  beside  me,  hold- 
ing my  thin  hands,  I  no  longer  felt  pain  or  care. 
Without  uttering  a  word,  I  fell  into  a  deep  refresh- 
ing sleep,  from  which  I  awoke  to  find  Jed  still 
compassionately  bending  over  me.  I  began  to  grow 
strong  from  that  hour.  Should  I  ever  be  sick  again 
if  Jed  was  with  me  ?  I  had  not  before  realized  how 
my  heart  had  hungered  for  him  in  all  these  months 
of  absence.  I  could  not  regard  even  captivity  as  a 
misfortune  when  it  brought  Jed  to  my  side  once 
more ;  and  even  now,  after  a  lapse  of  years,  I  can- 
not recall  the  effect  which  his  presence  and  sym- 


A   PRISONER,  161 

pa  thy  had  upon  me  (so  like  a  ministering  angel), 
without  thanking  God  for  bringing  to  me  the  bene- 
diction of  his  presence.  In  a  few  days,  when  I  had 
grown  stronger,  Jed  told  me  the  story  of  his  adven- 
tures since  our  last  meeting,  which  I  must  reserve 
for  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

jed's  story. 

" rriWENTY-FOUR  hours,"  said  Jed,  "before 
-*-  coming  into  these  lines  as  a  spy,  I  had  no 
more  thought  of  it  than  you  had.  The  proposition 
was  made  to  me  in  the  morning,  and  that  evening 
I  accepted,  and  reached  the  rebel  lines  at  Yorktown 
the  same  night,  as  a  deserter.  Pretty  quick  work 
that,  even  in  the  army,  where  a  man  decides  and 
acts  promptly. 

"About  that  time  the  information  received 
through  the  regular  secret-service  channels  was  not 
satisfactory:  it  was  contradictory,  and  these  con- 
tradictions, it  was  believed,  could  be  explained  only 
by  some  one  acting  independently  of,  and  with- 
out the  knowledge  of,  the  Secret-Service  Bureau. 
The  number  of  troops  confronting  us,  whether  it 
consisted  of  a  small  force  or  of  the  entire  rebel 
army,  as  well  as  questions  of  minor  information, 
were,  if  possible,  to  be  determined. 

"  To  act  independently  of  the  regularly  organized 
Secret-Service  Bureau  was  more  agreeable  to  me, 
from  the  fact  that  it  appealed  to  my  pride,  and  at 
the  same  time  seemed  safer  than  to  be  one  of  many 
in  a  similar  service. 

162 


JED'S  STORY,  163 

"  It  was  about  midnight  when  I  was  conducted 
to  our  pickets,  and  turned  loose  between  the  oppos- 
ing lines.  You  remember  the  night  was  dark,  and 
by  an  understanding  with  the  officer  of  the  picket, 
when  I  escaped  I  was  to  be  fired  upon. 

"  The  plan  was  carried  out  as  arranged.  I  broke 
from  the  officer  with  whom  I  had  been  conversing-, 
and,  running  a  few  yards,  threw  myself  face  down- 
ward on  the  ground.  It  was  well  for  me  that  I 
did,  for  the  rifles  of  the  picket-line  were  so  well 
directed,  notwithstanding  the  darkness,  that  a  bullet 
struck  the  back  of  my  head,  and  took  a  strip  of  hair 
from  it,  right  here,"  said  Jed,  directing  my  atten- 
tion uo  a  place  on  his  head  where  the  bullet  had 
grazed  his  scalp. 

"  The  picket-lines  of  our  enemy  at  this  point 
were  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from  our 
own,  and  I  crawled  in  the  mud  on  my  hands  and 
knees  nearly  the  whole  of  the  remaining  distance 
to  the  rebel  pickets. 

"  I  was  really  angry  that  I  had  been  hit  by  our 
own  men,  and  this  fact,  with  the  fire  directed  at  me 
while  escaping,  made  it  easy  for  me  to  assume  the 
role  of  a  deserter.  You  will  remember  that  when 
I  left  I  carried  all  my  equipments,  as  well  as  my 
knapsack.  In  the  morning  I  was  conducted  to 
General  Magruder.  The  general  Avas  writing  when 
I  entered  his  presence  and  stood  at  'attention.' 
He  turned  and  looked  at  me  in  perfect  silence  for 
a  moment,  with  a  steadiness  that  was  trying  to  my 


164  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

nerves  ;  and  then,  with  an  indescribable  lisp,  which 
did  not,  however,  detract  from  his  sternness,  said,  — 

"  '  Why  did  you  come  to  our  lines  ? ' 

" '  I'm  sick  of  the  service,'  I  replied. 

"  '  Want  to  join  us  ? '  he  inquired. 

"  '  Yes,  but  don't  care  to  be  caught  by  the  Yanks.' 

"  '  What  service  were  you  in  ?  ' 

"  I  told  him,  and  casually  mentioned  Captain 
Gruff. 

"  '  Ah ! '  exclaimed  he,  '  is  he  there  with  the  vol- 
unteers ? ' 

"  '  Yes,'  I  replied,  '  and  men  who  know  nothing 
about  military  affairs  are  promoted  over  men  like 
Captain  Gruff  and  myself.' 

" '  Ah ! '  said  he,  with  his  curious  lisj),  and  in  a 
sarcastic  tone,  'your  smartness  was  not  appreciated, 
then?' 

"  '  Put  the  word  experience  in  place  of  smartness, 
general,  and  you  are  correct,'  I  replied. 

" '  What  experience  have  you  had  more  than 
other  volunteers  ? '  he  asked. 

"'I  was  in  the  regular  service  before  the  war,'  I 
replied. 

"  The  general  now  exhibited  increased  interest, 
and  when  I  told  him  the  branch  of  service  I  had 
been  in,  and  the  officers  under  whom  I  had  served, 
he  turned  to  his  desk,  scribbled  a  note,  sent  it  off 
by  an  orderly,  while  I  still  stood  at  '  attention.' 

"  To  clinch  what  I  had  already  said,  I  remarked, 
'I   have  always  been  accustomed  to  serve  under 


JED'S  STORY.  165 

good  officers  and  gentlemen,  and  not  men  who  have 
no  title  to  either  except  their  uniforms.  I  don't 
like  to  submit  to  inferiors.' 

"  The  general  then  began  questioning  me  as  to 
the  strength  and  composition  of  our  forces.  Ac- 
cording to  instructions  received  before  leaving  our 
lines,  I  told  him.  Notwithstanding  the  apparent 
straightforwardness  of  my  replies,  I  thought  I  de- 
tected a  look  of  distrust  in  his  face.  I  was  getting 
uneasy,  and  had  begun  to  lose  something  of  my 
composure,  when  the  general  said,  '  You  may  go 
now.'  As  I  turned,  I  confronted  my  old  Captain 
Doughty,  under  whom  I  served  a  short  time  on  fhst 
entering  the  service,  as  the  reader  will  remember. 

"  The  captain  recognized  me  at  once,  and,  extend- 
ing his  hand,  said  kindly,  — 

"  '  Are  you  in  our  service  ? ' 

" '  No,  but  I  expect  to  be,'  I  replied. 

"  He  glanced  curiously  at  my  uniform,  and  said, 
in  pleasant  tones,  '  You  may  go  now,  and  return  in 
a  few  minutes.' 

"Thus  commanded,  I  sauntered  around  York- 
town  for  a  while,  and  it  was  a  novel  experience  to 
be  viewing  our  own  lines  from  the  rebel  position. 
In  a  few  moments  I  was  recalled  by  an  orderly. 
As  I  reached  the  door,  I  heard  Doughty  saying, 
'  He's  all  right.  I'll  vouch  for  the  boy ; '  and  my 
position  was  assured  from  that  moment. 

"  I  was  placed  on  duty  for  a  time  with  Doughty, 
who  was  now  a  brigadier-general,  and  was  kept 


166  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

busy  drilling  new  men  in  artillery  tactics.  For  a 
time  my  escape  to  their  lines  was  a  constant  theme 
for  comment  among  the  rebels,  whom  I  often  heard 
remarking,  as  I  passed  to  my  duties,  '  There  goes 
that  Yank ! ' 

"  Meanwhile  I  had  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  was 
constantly  gathering  important  information,  though 
I  was  careful  not  to  excite  suspicion  by  asking  lead- 
ing questions,  or  by  too  much  curiosity.  I  had  at 
the  time  of  my  escape  a  bad  cold,  making  me  some- 
what deaf  for  the  time,  which,  together  with  the 
absent-mindedness  of  one  who  is  busy  with  his  own 
thoughts,  and  who  speaks  but  seldom,  gave  me  a 
reputation  for  deafness  which  soon  became  useful 
to  me.  For,  although  I  heard  as  well  as  any  one  as 
soon  as  I  got  rid  of  my  cold,  the  reputation  for 
deafness  stood  by  me,  and  the  general  would  often 
say  to  those  who  spoke  to  me,  'Speak  a  little 
louder;  he's  quite  deaf.'  Thus,  favored  by  acci- 
dent, I  was  soon  in  possession  of  important  infor- 
mation, and  formed  a  good  idea  of  the  composition 
and  strength  of  the  rebel  forces  at  Yorktown. 

"The  desire  to  communicate  this  information, 
and  get  back  to  our  lines,  now  weighed  heavily  on 
my  mind.  I  was  stationed  on  the  water  battery 
near  the  York  River,  opposite  Gloucester  Point. 
One  morning  after  roll  call  I  was  sauntering  around 
near  the  water  battery,  when  I  saw  a  small  boat  of 
the  dory  pattern  lying  at  the  wharf.  There  was 
a  pair  of  oars  in  her,  and  she  was  kept  there,  as  I 


jEb'S  STORY,  167 

afterwards  learned,  to  communicate  with  the  force 
opposite  at  Gloucester  Point.  This  boat  I  deter- 
mined to  use,  at  the  first  opportunity,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reaching  our  lines. 

"  With  this  design,  one  dark,  rainy  night  I  began 
to  put  my  plan  in  execution.  Unfortunately,  the 
guards  stationed  along  the  water  front  had  been 
strengthened,  and  unusual  vigilance  was  at  that 
time  enjoined,  as  if  in  anticipation  of  a  night  attack. 
I  made  my  way  to  the  wharf  where  the  boat  lay, 
but  found  a  sentinel  walking  his  post  across  the 
line  of  my  approach  to  the  wharf.  As  it  was  dark 
and  raining,  I  found  bat  little  difficulty  in  reaching 
the  boat  while  the  sentry  was  walking  his  post  with 
his  back  to  me,  but  in  attempting  to  unfasten  her  I 
found  she  was  held  by  a  chain  locked  to  the  wharf. 

"  I  was  not  prepared  for  this,  and  was  about  to 
abandon  my  purpose ;  but,  feeling  around  in  the 
darkness,  I  ascertained  that  the  chain  was  held  to 
the  boat  by  means  of  a  staple  driven  into  the  deck 
of  her  prow.  I  wound  the  chain  around  one  end 
of  an  oar  I  found  in  her,  and  mth  one  wrench  freed 
her  from  the  wharf. 

'*  The  noise  of  the  rattling  chain  must  have  been 
heard  by  the  sentry,  for  he  called  out  as  I  pushed 
off  into  the  current,  and  drifted  away  on  the  out- 
going tide. 

"In  less  than  an  hour  I  had  landed  near  the 
Union  Battery  No.  1,  on  Wormley  Creek,  and 
reached,  as  I  thought,  Captain  Gruff's  tent,  which 


168  JED'S  ADVENTUkn^. 

was  not  far  from  the  shore.  I  entered,  and,  with- 
out awakening  its  inmate,  struck  a  match,  but  in- 
stead of  Captain  Gruff  saw  a  strange  officer  asleep 
in  his  blankets.  I  noiselessly  got  out  of  the  tent, 
and  in  returning  encountered  a  camp  sentinel,  who 
challenged  me.  Instead  of  answering  his  demand 
for  the  countersign,  I  inquired  for  Captain  Gruff 's 
quarters.  He  pointed  out  a  tent  not  far  distant, 
where  a  light  was  burning.  In  another  moment  I 
gave  the  colonel  and  Captain  Gruff  a  surprise. 

"I  was  shivering  with  wet  and  cold;  but,  having 
no  time  to  lose,  I  communicated  my  information  to 
the  captain,  in  order  that  he  might  get  it  to  our 
commanding  general  without  3xciting  the  suspicion 
of  his  regular  corps  of  secret-service  men,  some  of 
whom  might  be  around  his  quarters.  My  informa- 
tion of  the  arrival  of  re-enforcements  from  Rich- 
mond, and  also  other  facts,  Avas  deemed  important. 
After  I  had  communicated  all  this  to  Captain  Gruff 
he  looked  at  his  watch,  then  at  an  almanac,  and 
said,  '  By  the  time  you  reach  your  boat,  the  tide  will 
have  turned,  and  the  current  will  carry  you  back.' 
I  had  not  expected  to  return,  and  objected.  The 
captain  briefly  outlined  the  information  which  it 
was  still  desirable  should  be  obtained,  and  said, 
'  You  can  probably  reach  their  lines  before  daylight 
without  exciting  sus]3icion,  and  such  a  chance  will 
not  occur  again  in  a  lifetime.'  I  was  easily  per- 
suaded, for  I  was  not  faint-hearted,  and,  with  cloth- 
ing still  wet,  in  another  hour  was  on  my  way  back. 


JED'S  STORY,  169 

*'  Reaching  my  little  craft,  I  silently  rowed  up 
the  York  River,  until  I  perceived  that  I  was  not  far 
from  Yorktown.  The  tide  was  low,  and,  as  I  thought 
myself  likely  to  be  detected  in  running  my  boat  up 
to  the  wharf,  I  landed  on  a  sand-flat,  made  bare  by 
the  receding  tide,  and  walked  in  the  direction  of 
the  water  battery,  which  seemed  to  be  but  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  my  landing-place. 

''  I  soon  discovered  that  I  had  made  a  mistake. 
There  was  a  deep  channel  between  me  and  the 
water  battery,  and  it  w^as  so  dark  that  if  I  turned 
back  there  was  but  little  chance  of  my  finding  the 
boat  again. 

"  I  now  went,  as  I  thought,  towards  the  shore, 
so  as  to  keep  clear  of  the  channel.  As  I  walked 
the  water  grew  deeper  and  deeper  every  moment. 
Each  way  I  turned  seemed  worse  than  the  other. 
I  started  in  the  direction  where  I  thought  the  shore 
ought  to  lie,  but  found  mj^self  in  still  deeper  water. 
I  now  halted  and  considered.  As  the  result  of  my 
deliberation,  I  advanced  twenty  paces  in  either  di- 
rection, in  order  to  determine  where  the  shore  was. 
A  fog  had  now  so  increased  the  darkness  that  it 
seemed  almost  palpable  to  the  touch. 

"  My  experiment  for  reacliing  the  shore  was  a 
failure.  The  water  was  continually  growing  deeper 
and  deeper,  whichever  way  I  moved.     I  was  lost ! 

"  There  was  apparently  left  to  me  but  one  alter- 
native, that  of  swimming  in  the  direction  in  which 
the  current  set.    I  had  just  determined  on  this  when 


170  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

I  felt  something  bump  against  me.  I  put  out  my 
hand ;  it  was  a  boat.  I  clambered  on  board  and 
found  it  was  my  own  skiff,  which,  liberated  from 
the  sand-flat  by  the  incoming  tide,  had  drifted 
down  to  me. 

"  To  such  an  extent  do  conditions  of  mind  de- 
pend upon  incidental  contrasts,  that  in  a  moment  it 
was  as  if  I  had  passed  from  gloom  to  light.  With 
senses  all  alert  I  now  steered  my  boat  with  the 
tide.  It  was  not  long  before  I  felt  the  boat  strike 
against  something  which  impeded  her  course.  It 
was  a  wharf.  But  where  ?  I  listened,  but  could 
hear  no  sound.  I  landed  upon  the  wharf,  but  nearly 
fell  back  into  the  water,  so  bewildered  was  I  by  the 
events  of  the  night.  I  now  turned  towards  what  I 
knew  to  be  the  shore  end ;  listening  at  every  step, 
I  passed  along  the  hard  sandy  shore  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  I  was  halted  by  a  sentinel. 

"I  was  re-assured  and  confident  when  he  said, 
'•  Been  longer  than  usual,  haven't  you  ? '  Though 
I  did  not  have  the  most  distant  idea  to  what  he 
referred,  I  assented  by  saying,  '  Yes,'  and  passed 
on  without  further  notice.  I  now  recognized  my 
surroundings ;  reached  my  quarters,  changed  my 
wet  clothes  for  dry  ones,  and  notwithstanding  the 
perilous  adventures  through  which  I  had  passed, 
soon  fell  asleep.  It  was  broad  daylight  w^hen  I 
awoke  and  learned  that  my  absence  from  camp  had 
not  been  noticed  or  susjDected.  The  boat  had  been 
found,  but  beyond  some  conjectures  as  to  how  the 


JED'S  STORY,  171 

chain  became  detached  from  her,  I  heard  no  com. 
ments. 

"During  the  weeks  which  followed,  I  was  an  in> 
terested  spectator  of  the  occasional  artillery  firing 
along  the  fortified  lines. 

"Fortune  again  favored  me.  As  I  could  write, 
and  was  considered  too  deaf  for  ordinary  soldier's 
duty,  I  was  recommended,  and  became  an  orderly 
for  General  Johnson. 

"  By  this  time  the  role  of  a  deaf  person  came 
very  natural  to  me,  and  I  practised  showing  anger 
when  it  was  alluded  to,  as  deaf  men  usually  do. 
The  habit  of  keeping  my  mouth  shut  grew  upon 
me  just  in  proportion  as  I  exercised  it.  I  remem- 
bered an  old  maxim,  '  Least  said,  soonest  mended,' 
which  to  one  in  my  circumstances  seemed  to  contain 
the  essence  of  common  sense. 

"  I  was  on  duty  at  General  Johnson's  quarters 
when  he  issued  the  order  for  the  retreat  from  York- 
town.  But  for  being  so  closely  tied  to  headquar- 
ters, the  bustle  of  preparation  which  now  began  on 
every  side  would  have  given  me  a  good  opportunity 
for  escape,  with  information  to  our  army  of  the  in- 
tended retreat. 

"  While  the  preparations  were  going  on  I  went 
into  the  general's  tent,  and  saw  spread  on  the  table 
a  map  showing  the  earthworks  and  roads  at  Wil- 
liamsburg and  other  places  between  Yorktown  and 
the  Pamunky  River.  Fortunately,  I  had  some 
tracing-paper  with  me.     This   I  placed   over  the 


172    ♦  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

drawings,  and,  with  my  face  towards  the  door, 
began  rapidly  to  trace  them. 

"  I  had  finished  two  of  the  most  important  ones, 
when  I  heard  ajDproaching  footsteps,  and  concealing 
my  work  I  threw  myself  into  a  seat  and  was  appar- 
ently sleepy,  listless,  and  indifferent,  when  the  per- 
son whose  steps  I  had  heard  came  in. 

"  I  had  to  be  spoken  to  twice  before  I  under- 
stood that  he  wished  to  see  General  Johnson. 
*  Can't  you  go  for  him  ? '  said  the  visitor.  '  No 
sir ! '  I  replied,  '  I  am  attending  to  these  quarters 
during  the  general's  absence ; '  whereui^on  he  sat 
down  to  wait. 

"A  clerk  who  had  been  absent  on  duty  or  at 
dinner,  came  in  and  seated  himself  at  the  table 
and  entered  into  earnest  conversation  with  the 
visitor.  I  took  a  seat  outside,  near  the  door,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  the  clerk  and  visitor  came  out 
conversing. 

"  As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  I  returned 
to  the  general's  quarters,  made  copies  of  several 
important  papers,  concealing  them  in  an  inner 
pocket. 

"  General  Johnson  soon  came  in,  and  with  an 
absent  manner,  as  if  much  pre-occupied  Avith  his 
thoughts,  began  writing.  I  could  see  by  the  mo- 
tion of  his  pen  that  the  communication  was  to  Gen- 
eral Magruder,  and  that  it  was  not  important. 

"  My  rule  was  never  to  pry  around  for  informa- 
tion, or  to  tamper  with  letters,  but  to  get  possession 


JED'S  STORY.  173 

of  such  as  seemed  to  come  most  readily  to  hand. 
The  intelligence  thus  gained  was  not  strained  to 
fit  theories,  and  hence  was  genuine. 

"  I  now  wished  to  reach  our  lines  with  the  infor- 
mation secured.  It  was  only  two  days  after  this 
that  our  retreat  began.  My  riding  up  to  the  lines 
of  my  regiment  at  Yorktown  was  simply  accident 
and  not  design. 

"  I  had  gone  to  the  front  during  the  battle,  hop- 
ing I  might  get  a  chance  to  reach  our  lines  in  safety. 
During  the  advance  a  rebel  officer  had  been  shot 
from  his  horse.  I  caught  the  horse,  and,  quickly 
assuming  the  officer's  uniform  and  equipments, 
mounted,  and  had  regained  the  advancing  line, 
when  a  volley  from  your  brigade  threw  our  col- 
umns into  confusion  and  gave  me  my  opportunity. 

''  Of  course  I  ran  great  risks,  but  I  took  the 
risk,  for  I  felt  I  was  in  God's  hands  and  was  ren- 
dering good  service  to  my  country." 

In  reply  to  the  question  of  how  he  came  on 
Belle  Isle  he  said,  — 

''I  was  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  while  on  duty 
with  General  Johnson,  and  was  sent  to  the  hospi- 
tal at  Richmond.  Although  I  was  not  fit  for  duty, 
I  often  went  into  the  street,  doing  errands  for  our 
hospital  near  Libby.  It  was  on  one  of  these  errands 
that  I  saw  you.  It  almost  broke  my  heart  to  walk 
away  without  noticing  your  appeal,  but  it  was  the 
only  course  I  could  pursue. 

"  I  went  back  to  the  hospital  at  once,  and  asked 


174  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

the  privilege  of  going  to  the  front.  It  was  granted, 
and  I  was  considered  a  patriot. 

"  That  night  I  changed  my  clothes  for  a  suit  of 
Union  blue  I  had  bought  at  Libby,  and  without 
being  noticed  joined  a  group  of  prisoners  that  were 
on  their  way  to  Belle  Isle,  where  I  knew  you  had 
been  sent." 

"Ain't  you  afraid  of  being  detected?"  I  in- 
quired. 

"  There  is  always  a  possibility,  but  it  is  hardly 
probable  in  this  case,"  was  Jed's  reply.  "  I  think 
there  will  be  a  parole  soon,  and  then  I  shall  get 
into  the  Union  lines,  with  the  rest  of  3^ou,  as  a 
prisoner  of  war  I  " 

The  plan  was  a  good  one,  and  Jed  reasoned  that 
liis  safety  consisted  in  the  fact  that  his  former  rebel 
associates  believed  him  to  be  in  the  hospital,  Avhile 
those  in  the  hospital  believed  he  had  gone  to  re- 
sume his  old  army  duties.  Such  in  substance 
was  Jed's  story,  though  there  were  many  other  in- 
teresting details  which  I  might  give  did  space 
permit. 


"  During  the  advance  a  rebel  oflBcer  had  been  shot  from 
his  horse."  —  Page  173, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
A  convalescent's  glimpse  of  belle  isle 

IN   1862. 

/CONVALESCENT  at  last,  I  began,  with  feeble 
^-^  steps  and  slowly  recovering  strength,  to 
familiarize  myself  with  the  prison. 

To  rise  enfeebled  from  a  fever  and  its  delirium 
in  this  wretched  place  at  first  gave  to  all  my  sur- 
roundings a  tone  of  unreality.  Nothing  seemed 
real  but  Jed. 

The  squalid  wretchedness,  which,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  would  have  been  met  with  cheerful- 
ness or  hopeful  endurance,  now  seemed  to  me  like 
a  part  of  my  fevered  dreams,  —  an  oppressive  night- 
mare, from  whose  thraldom  I  was  impatient  to 
break.  I  chafed  with  nervous  expectancy,  as  if 
its  spell  could  be  suddenly  dissolved.  The  present 
seemed  interwoven  with  some  intangible  remem- 
brances, which  my  mind  was  constantly  attempting 
to  connect  with  its  present  surroundings,  or  with 
the  reality  of  a  well-defined  past. 

From  this  semi-dream  condition  I  was  at  times 
fully  awakened  by  the  voracious  demands  of  an 
unsatisfied  appetite,  common  to  those  recovering 

175 


176  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

from  a  fever.  '  This  hunger  was  accompanied  by  a 
craving  for  luxuries,  which  could  not  be  satisfied. 
The  rations  at  this  time  on  Belle  Isle  were  very 
meagre.  A  small  half-loaf  of  baker's  bread,  sup- 
plemented once  or  twice  a  week  by  thin  and  dirty 
bean  soup,  from  the  top  of  which  maggots  could 
be  skimmed,  constituted  a  day's  rations  for  a  pris- 
oner. There  were  days,  however,  Avhen  no  food 
was  issued.  Whether  occasioned  by  neglect,  acci- 
dent, or  design,  it  was  nevertheless  true  that  no 
back  rations,  to  make  up  this  deficiency,  were  ever 
issued. 

No  excuses,  however  ingenious,  could  satisfy 
this  lack  of  food,  as  my  appetite  was  clamorous  for 
that,  and  not  for  apologies.  When  rations  were 
issued  regularly,  my  appetite  seemed  to  grow  larger 
as  the  size  of  my  rations  increased. 

Jed  had  some  money,  perhaps  a  hundred  dollars 
in  all,  of  Confederate  money  and  local  ''shinplas- 
ters."  As  he  thought  it  imprudent  to  come  in  fa- 
miliar contact  with  the  guard,  for  fear  of  recognition, 
I  did  such  trading  or  buying  as  was  necessary. 

Women  sometimes  came  to  camp  with  bitter  dried- 
peach  pies,  guiltless  of  sugar,  and  other  doubtful 
goodies.  The  most  palatable  food  Avas  obtained 
from  the  guards,  who  were  sometimes  willing  to  sell 
Indian  corn  cakes,  wheat  biscuit,  or  bacon.  Once  I 
bought  a  dozen  eggs  and  a  quart  of  milk,  and  Jed 
and  I  had  a  feast  which  made  our  boyish  stomachs 
glad  for  a  whole  day.     But,  as  if  the  Confederacy 


A    GLIMPSE  OF  BELLE  ISLE.  177 

was  depleted  by  this  output,  the  chance  to  purchase 
these  articles  of  food  did  not  again  occur  in  our 
experience  at   Belle  Isle. 

The  guards  were  forbidden  to  hold  conversation 
or  to  trade  with  their  prisoners,  but  their  great  de- 
sire to  obtain  "  Yankee  lixin's  "  opened  a  way  to  a 
commerce  Avhich  was  improved  to  its  fullest  extent 
by  both  parties.  I  do  not  remember  a  single  guard 
on  Belle  Isle  who  did  not  inquire  if  I  had  a  jack-knife 
which  I  would  sell  or  exchange.  Thus  it  might  be 
said  that  the  jack-knife  opened  trade,  otherwise  for- 
bidden to  Yankee  enterprise,  all  along  the  rebel  guard 
line.  At  first  I  used  the  money  I  had  to  buy  food, 
but  the  prices  were  so  high  that  money  melted  away 
Hke  ice  in  the  tropics,  and  the  traffic  seemed  likely 
to  culminate  in  our  financial  ruin.  So,  actuated  by 
thrifty  sentiments,  I  bought  jack-knives,  watches, 
and  boots  with  our  Confederate  scrip,  and  with 
these,  instead  of  money,  advanced  confidently  to 
trade  with  the  guard,  who  were  supposed  to  be 
controlled  by  inflexible  rules,  many  of  which,  how- 
ever, I  was  able  to  violate  with  impunity.  The 
prisoners  occupied  their  leisure  time  (and  their 
time  was  mostly  of  this  description)  in  manufac- 
turing pipes  of  brier-root,  napkin  and  finger  rings 
of  bone,  the  engraved  letters  or  designs  being 
filled  with  melted  sealing-wax  to  resemble  inlaid 
work  ;  and  these  were  also  offered  for  sale,  to  enable 
the  hungry  manufacturers  to  fUl  what  might  almost 
be  called  an  acliing  void,  were  not  their  stomachs 


178  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

so  full  of  hunger.  It  was  an  obdurate  guard  indeed 
who  was  not  willing  to  trade  for  "  Yankee  traps," 
when  brought  out  in  the  shape  of  red-top  Yankee 
boots,  watches,  or  first-class  jack-knives. 

The  prison  ground  consisted  of  a  low,  sandy 
point  of  land  extending  towards,  and  in  sight  of, 
Richmond.  Its  area  at  this  period  was  defined  by  a 
low  railing  three  feet  or  more  in  height,  which  the 
prisoners  were  allowed  to  approach,  but  not  to  cross 
without  permission.  This  line  was  not  a  "  dead 
line,"  as  that  refinement  of  prison  rules  was  reserved 
for  a  different  era  of  Confederate  prisons.  On 
three  sides  of  this  flat  area  ran  the  coffee-colored 
James  River,  dashing  against  the  little,  verdure-clad 
islets  and  the  rocks  which  stood  in  its  path,  as  if  in 
wrath  at  such  intrusion. 

The  railing  mentioned  was  from  twenty  to  thirty 
yards  from  the  river  on  the  south  and  east,  while 
a  much  wider  space  intervened  on  the  north.  This 
northern  part  was  often  completely  inundated  dur- 
ing or  after  rainy  weather.  Thus,  while  three  sides 
might  be  said  to  be  guarded  by  the  river,  a  high 
bluff  or  hill  in  the  rear  marked  the  western  limit 
of  our  prison.  Here  the  guards  had  their  camps, 
"  roosting  high,"  as  Jed  remarked  sarcastically,  and 
out  of  sight  of  the  "Yanks."  Jed  informed  me 
that  there  was  a  fort  on  the  hill,  which  guarded 
the  western  approaches  to  the  rebel  capital. 

The  banks  of  the  island  opposite  Richmond  were 
fringed  with  graceful  foliage,  with  here  and  there 


A   GLIMPSE  OF  BELLE  ISLE.  179 

a  magnolia  tree,  overhanging  the  swift  current, 
the  fragrance  of  whose  blossoms  (Occasionally  came 
to  us,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  unsavory  odors  of 
the  prison.  Opposite,  on  the  Richmond  side,  were 
iron-works  where,  in  the  afternoon,  workmen  could 
be  seen  and  heard  testing  cannon  made  for  the 
armies  of  the  Confederacy. 

Each  day  there  came  from  the  city  to  us,  a  huge 
scow  loaded  with  bread,  and  with  unpainted  wooden 
boxes,  to  be  used  as  coffins  for  the  deceased  pris- 
oners. This  uncouth  ferry-boat,  with  its  ominous 
cargo,  seemed  like  some  ark  on  the  waters  of  the 
River  of  Death,  freighted  to  show  tlie  possibilities 
of  our  future. 

One  afternoon  during  the  month  of  August  I 
sat  watching  the  spires  and  roofs  of  the  rebel  capi- 
tal, which  were  bathed  in  sunset  hues,  against  a 
background  of  beautiful  clouds.  From  the  city 
came  dimly  the  sounds  of  busy  life.  These  sights 
and  sounds  filled  me  with  an  inexpressible  longing 
for  home.  Whether  these  feelings  were  reflected 
in  my  face,  I  do  not  know,  but  Jed  sitting  near  me 
inquired,  — 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about  ?  " 

"I  was  thinking,"  I  replied  wearily,  "how 
beautiful  it  looks  over  there  in  Richmond.  It 
must  be  a  pleasant  place  to  live  in.  I'd  like  to  be 
free  to  look  it  over." 

"  Inviting  to  the  eye,  but  ashes  to  the  touch," 
said  Jed  musingly ;  ''  it  might  be  called  the  City 


180  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

of  Sorrow.  Many  mothers  there  have  lost  their 
sons ;  and  from  all  over  the  South  those  who  have 
fathers,  brothers,  husbands,  or  sons  in  the  army 
come  with  aching  hearts  searching  for  their  miss- 
ing ones.  Arriving,  they  often  learn  that  they 
are  sick,  wounded,  or  dead.  I  have  seen  the 
most  terrible  agony  of  dread  on  the  faces  of 
women. 

''  Almost  all  the  public  buildings,  factories,  and 
warehouses,  as  well  as  many  of  the  private  resi- 
dences, are  either  hospitals  or  prisons,  in  which  are 
confined  not  only  Yankee  prisoners,  but  many  brave 
Union  men,  or  suspected  citizens  of  the  South. 
The  South  is  already  destitute  of  luxuries,  and,  in 
a  great  part,  of  necessities  and  comforts.  In  the 
hospitals,  pieces  of  carpeting,  tablecloths,  home- 
made blankets  and  comforters  made  of  cotton  cloth 
with  wadding  of  cotton  sandwiched  between,  are 
used  for  blankets.  Herbs  have  taken  the  place  of 
ordinary  drugs.  Quinine  cannot  be  had,  except 
in  very  small  quantities,  at  any  price.  In  its  houses 
destitution  is  the  rule,  and  comfort  the  exception. 
The  people  have  become  distrustful  of  Confederate 
money,  and  the  fractional  scrip  of  towns  outside 
of  Richmond  can  hardly  be  forced  upon  them.  It 
already  takes  a  hatful  of  money  to  purchase  a 
small  basket  of  provisions. 

"Any  one  having  a  printing-press  can  make 
money  of  small  denomination  which  passes  cur- 
rent as  well  as  any,  but  a  knowledge  of  this  fact 


A    GLIMPSE  OF  BELLE  ISLE.  181 

deepens  the  distrust  prevalent  on  every  side.  A 
Confederate  dollar  buys  an  ordinary  loaf  of  wheat 
bread  which  can  be  purchased  for  ten  cents  at  the 
North.     Those  who  have  specie  hoard  it." 

"  If  that  is  true,  I  should  think  the  South  would 
be  tired  of  the  war,"  I  said.  Jed  shook  his  head, 
and  replied,  — 

"  You  don't  understand  these  people ;  I  didn't  at 
first.  Under  much  that  is  extravagant  in  state- 
ment and  sentiment,  —  under  all  their  swagger, 
there  is  a  deep-set  pride  and  determination.  The 
Southerners  will  suffer  everything  rather  than  yield 
to  the  Yankees,  whom  they  detest  and  hate.  They 
have  the  virtues  of  those  who  are  comparatively 
primitive  in  their  habits  of  life.  I  cannot  help  re- 
specting their  soldiers,  who  stand  up  bravely  and 
take  cold  lead  for  what  they  believe  to  be  right ;  or 
their  citizens,  who,  when  put  to  the  test,  suffer 
every  inconvenience  of  poverty  and  want,  that  the 
army  may  be  fed  and  clothed  and  kept  in  the  field. 
I  sometimes  feel  that  the  Southerners  are  a  braver 
and  more  consistent  people  than  we  Northerners. 
Our  army  couldn't  be  held  together  under  such 
conditions  of  pay  and  rations  :  they  would  revolt 
and  go  home." 

And  then,  as  if  ashamed  of  his  earnestness,  Jed 
added  with  a  change  of  face  and  tone,  in  droll  imi- 
tation of  one  of  the  Confederate  guard  whom  he 
sometimes  mimicked,  — 

"  We  uns  will  be  right  glad  when  you'ns  have 


182  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

been  licked !  What  do  you'ns  come  down  here  to 
fight  we  uns  for  ?  " 

It  was  an  old  characteristic  of  Jed  to  cover  his 
more  earnest  and  thoughtful  moods  by  a  veil  of 
humor. 

In  the  few  months  since  Jed  had  come  into  the 
enemy's  lines,  he  had  grown  more  earnest  and 
thoughtful ;  every  night  I  saw  him  kneel  in  prayer, 
and  on  his  bronzed  face  was  stamped  that  compos- 
ure by  which  an  observer  may  recognize  those  who 
have  been  constantly  in  places  of  peril. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  when  I  get  away  from  this  and 
take  my  place  in  the  army  once  more,"  I  said  after 
a  moment's  pause. 

Jed  reflected  a  moment,  and  then  said,  "  I  too 
shall  be  glad  to  get  into  our  lines,  but  as  yet  I  am 
undecided  what  to  do.  I  have  probably  been 
missed  by  the  rebels  by  this  time.  The  only  chance 
I  have  of  not  being  detected  is  in  the  slipshod  man- 
ner in  which  the  business  of  the  Confederate  army 
is  managed." 

"  There  must  be  a  great  deal  of  danger  to  you 
here,"  I  replied. 

Jed's  voice  deepened  with  earnestness  as  he  re- 
plied, "  Yes !  there  is  danger  everywhere  in  the 
army  to  men  who  do  their  duty,  but  a  man's  danger 
is  always  increased  by  losing  his  nerve.  If  he 
keeps  his  eyes  open  there  are  chances  to  escape 
from  the  worst  situations." 

Shortly  after  the  foregoing  conversation  I  was 


A   GLIMPSE  OF  BELLE  ISLE.  18B 

endeavoring  to  sell  or  trade  a  forage  cap  to  the 
Confederate  guard.  To  secure  the  trade,  as  there 
was  some  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  young  fel- 
low to  pay  so  much  as  twenty-five  dollars,  even  in 
Confederate  money,  I  made  a  pencil  sketch  of  him 
with  the  cap  on,  and  held  the  drawing  up  for  him 
to  see  how  he  looked  with  the  new  article  of  dress. 
Though  the  di-awing  was  something  of  a  carica- 
ture of  a  portrait,  the  Confederate  soldier  was  more 
struck  by  the  picture  than  by  the  cap. 

"  What'll  ye  take  for  that  Yankee  fixin'  ? "  he 
inquired. 

I  replied  unblushingly,  "  Five  dollars." 

After  I  had  written  his  name,  company,  and  regi- 
ment on  it  he  paid  the  ptice  asked,  and  seemed 
delighted  with  the  picture. 

After  this  I  could  afford  to  cheapen  the  cap ; 
we  speedily  closed  the  trade,  and  I  walked  off  twen- 
ty-five dollars  richer  in  Confederate  money. 

This  little  incident,  seemingly  so  unimportant, 
bore  fruits  out  of  proportion  to  the  incident  itself. 
The  Confederate  guard  showed  his  picture  to  his 
comrades,  and  I  soon  found  myself  busy  in  making 
alleged  likenesses  of  Confederate  soldiers  of  the 
guard,  at  good  prices. 

The  sergeant  of  the  guard,  whose  picture  I  had 
made,  passed  me  in  and  out  to  the  camp  south  of 
the  prison,  and  introduced  me  to  the  guard  who 
succeeded  him.  Pones  of  Indian  cake,  bacon,  and 
other  delicacies,  as  well   as    Confederate   money, 


184  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

were  given  me  in  exchange  for  my  pictures.  Under 
these  drawings  I  often  scribbled  verses  from  Moore 
for  those  who  wished  to  send  them  to  their  wives 
and  sweethearts,  and  by  this  means  I  got  enough 
to  eat. 

While  at  the  guard-quarters  one  day  a  request 
came  from  one  of  the  men  for  a  picture.  I  did  not 
then  know  the  insignia  of  rank  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and,  as  my  subject  had  no  shoulder-straps,  I 
supposed  him  to  be  a  private,  or,  at  most,  a  sergeant. 
The  insignificant  stripes  of  gold  braid  on  his  collar 
I  supposed  meant  nothing  more  than  an  ambitious 
attempt  at  ornament,  so  common  among  the  Con- 
federate soldiers  I  had  met.  The  soldier  was  well 
educated,  and  once,  wh^  I  wished  to  sharpen  my 
pencil,  I  said  carelessly,  "Let  me  take  your  knife." 
He  corrected  my  English  by  saying,  "  No,  I  will  not 
let  you  '  take  my  knife,'  but  I  will  loan  you  my 
knife."  By  dint  of  care  I  really  made  a  creditable 
likeness  of  him,  with  which  he  appeared  pleased. 

As  was  my  custom,  upon  finishing  it  I  asked  him 
if  I  should  put  his  name,  rank,  and  company  under 
it.  "No,"  said  he,  as  he  took  my  pencil  from  my 
hand,  writing  his  name  in  a  beautiful  round  hand, 
and  adding  "  Captain  of  Company  — ,  22d  Ala." 

I  asked  him  why  he  did  not  wear  shoulder-straps, 
whereupon  he  pointed  out  the  difference  between 
the  "old  army,"  as  he  called  it,  and  the  Confederate 
manner  of  designating  rank.  He  was  a  manly  fel- 
low, with  a  certain  dignity  which  he  wore  easily 


Belle  Isle  in  1802:    Making  the  portrait.  —  Page  184. 


A    GLIMPSE   OF  BELLE  ISLE.  185 

and.  lightly,  as  if  habituated  to  command.  He 
never  spoke  to  his  men  above  the  ordinary  tones 
of  conversation,  and  in  this  he  was  like  West  Point 
officers  I  had  encountered.  This  was  so  striking 
that  I  mentioned  it. 

''  Very  naturally,''  he  replied ;  "  I  was  in  West 
Point,  and  but  for  this  unfortunate  war  should 
have  graduated.  You  have  the  manners  of  a  man 
who  has  seen  much  service,"  said  he,  "  though  you 
are  but  young." 

I  explained  this  by  giving  him  an  outline  of  my 
service  in  the  army  previous  to  the  war. 

"I'd  like  to  take  you  up  to  camp  with  me  very 
much,"  said  he,  making  a  gesture  towards  the  hill 
at  the  west  of  the  prison  camp. 

''  I  am  afraid  they  woulcbi't  like  it  up  there,"  I 
replied. 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  would.  I'd  see  to  that,"  he  re- 
plied. 

I  did  not  then  understand  the  bearing  of  his  re- 
marks, but  the  next  day  I  was  telling  the  incident 
to  Jed,  when,  noticing  a  quizzical  expression  on 
his  face,  I  said,  "What  is  it?  Out  with  it,  Jed. 
What  are  you  laughing  in  your  sleeve  at  me  for?" 
I  was  not  prepared  for  Jed's  reply. 

"  Didn't  you  understand  he  was  trying  to  recruit 
you  for  the  Confederate  army?"  It  flashed  upon 
me  now  for  the  first  time,  and,  to  put  it  mildly,  I 
was  astonished  at  the  officer's  assurance. 

"I  know  the  man  very  well,"  said  Jed,  "  and  his 


186  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

estimate  of  a  Yankee  is  so  low  that  he  will  not 
easily  give  over  tiying  to  recrnit  you  for  the  Con- 
federate service.  If  you  go  over  to  the  camp  he 
will  accept  it  as  a  token  that  you  are  considering 
the  matter,  and  if  you  keep  away  he  will  send  into 
camp  for  you,  and  my  safety  will  be  endangered. 
If  he  remembers  the  story  I  told  of  my  previous 
service  he  may  connect  you  with  me  ;  and,  even  if 
he  does  not,  it  is  likely  to  be  dangerous  for  me 
here." 

Seeing  a  shadow  of  chagrin  come  over  my  face, 
Jed  put  his  hand  affectionately  on  my  shoulder  and 
said,  ''  Don't  put  on  that  blue  look,  Dick.  It  is  all 
for  the  best,  for  had  I  not  known  of  this  regiment 
being  on  guard  I  was  likely  to  betray  myself. 
'  ForcAvarned,  forearmed,'  as  your  aunt  used  to  say 
when  you  first  insisted  on  being  friends  with 
me." 

This  little  bit  of  reminiscence  made  me  laugh, 
as  my  aunt,  at  my  first  acquaintance  with  Jed,  usu- 
ally accompanied  this  saying  Avith  ominous  pre- 
dictions of  his  future  career. 

"  It  is  fortunate,"  continued  Jed,  "  that  this  fact 
is  known  to  me  before  I  commit  myself,  for  it 
has  been  rumored  for  some  days  that  there  is  to 
be  a  parole  of  prisoners,  and  I  intended,  in  that 
event,  to  fall  in  and  give  my  parole  with  the  others 
and  run  the  risk ;  but  this  puts  it  out  of  the  ques- 
tion.    I  must  take  some  other  course." 

''  What  will  you  do  ?  "  I  inquired,  but  Jed  made 


A    GLIMPSE   OF  BELLE  ISLE.  187 

no  other  reply  than  to  smile  and  shake  his  head  as 
if  he  had  not  really  made  up  his  mind  on  that  point. 

As  Jed  had  predicted,  the  captain  did  not  give 
up  the  plan  he  had  formed  to  recruit  me  for  the 
Confederate  service.  He  promised  to  obtain  for  me 
a  commission,  and  argued  that  the  Confederac}^ 
would  soon  be  acknowledged  by  England  and 
France,  if  it  was  not  already,  ''and  then  every  man 
who  fights  for  us  will  be  made  independent."  My 
decided  but  good-natured  answers  that  "I  was 
born  a  Yank,  and  intended  to  die  a  Yank,"  made  it 
hard  for  him  to  urge  me  further. 

I  reported  this  conversation  to  Jed,  who  said,  — 

"  That  is  the  best  way  ;  if  you  gave  him  any  en- 
couragement it  would  make  it  disagreeable  for 
you." 

In  a  few  days  after  this,  the  expected  parole  of 
prisoners  really  began.  I  was  called  out  to  write  on 
the  parole  papers,  and  on  returning  in  the  evening 
found  that  Jed  had  disappeared  from  camp. 

He  had  left  a  note  for  me  with  a  mutual  ac- 
quaintance ;  I  opened  it,  and  read,  — 

Dear  Dick,  —  Don't  be  uneasy  or  worried  about  me.  The 
less  you  inquire  for  me  or  look  after  me,  the  better. 

Jed. 

I  turned  away,  heavy-hearted  at  thoughts  of 
marching  to  our  lines  on  the  morrow,  leaving  Jed 
in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  paroles  were  all  completed  by  nine  o'clock 


188  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

the  next  morning.  I  was  standing  at  the  place 
where  I  had  been  writing,  near  a  one-stoiy  building, 
previous  to  the  war  a  church,  but  now  used  for  a 
commissary  office.  I  met  the  captain  of  the  22d 
Alabama,  who  shook  hands  with  me,  and  said,  — 

"  Since  you  won't  be  a  Confederate  I  am  glad, 
for  your  sake,  you  are  going  home." 

Just  then  I  heard  what  I  thought  was  Jed's 
voice,  saying,  ''  Yes,  we  are  going  to  our  lines." 
I  turned,  and  near  me  stood  a  broad-shouldered, 
dark-whiskered  fellow  with  an  empty  sleeve,  who, 
in  reply  to  a  question  I  put  to  him,  said  in  unmis- 
takable Irish  brogue,  — 

"  Sure  it's  glad  I  am  to  be  going  to  the  Union !  " 

AYe  began  our  march ;  passed  through  Man- 
chester, where  sad-faced  women  came  out  from 
their  homes,  and  gave  us  cakes,  and  filled  our  can- 
teens, and  spoke  kind  words ;  passed  through 
Richmond,  with  its  now  silent  and  almost  deserted 
streets,  and  after  a  hard  all-day's  march  reached 
Aiken's  Landing,  in  sight  of  the  flag-of-truce  boat, 
from  which  floated  the  stars  and  stripes. 

Though  no  rations  had  been  issued  to  us  during 
the  entire  day,  we  here  received  a  plentiful  supply, 
and  were  contented  to  look  up  to  the  dear  old  flag, 
never  so  dear  as  now,  while  tears  ran  down  faces 
unused  to  tears,  from  simple  joy  at  being  delivered 
from  our  prison. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  landed  at 
Annapolis,    and   were  marched   to    parole    camp. 


A    GLIMPSE  OF  BELLE  ISLE.  189 

Here  I  took  up  my  quarters  near  a  sutler's  shop. 
I  had  but  few  acquaintances  among  the  prisoners, 
and  by  reason  of  my  long  imprisonment  was  desti- 
tute of  many  necessities  to  make  me  comfortable. 

As  I  stood  doubtfully  musing,  a  voice  like  Jed's 
aroused  me  from  my  reverie.  Looking  up,  I  saw 
the  Irish  soldier  standing  before  me. 

"  It's  a  foine  thing  to  be  once  more  in  the  Union, 
sor,"  said  he. 

"Yes,  Pat,"  said  I,  "but"— and  here  I  looked 
around.  "  I  could  almost  swear  I  heard  a  friend's 
voice  just  now !  " 

"  And  faith  ye  did,  me  bye  !  "  said  the  supposed 
Irishman ;  thi'owing  back  his  coat-collar  which  he 
had  worn  turned  up,  and  coolly  removing  a  false 
beard,  to  my  astonishment,  Jed  stood  before  me.  I 
held  out  my  hand,  when  from  under  his  coat,  where 
dangled  an  unfilled  coat-sleeve,  he  extended  his 
hand  to  meet  mine. 

Our  army  at  tliis  time  was  at  Antietam,  and  Jed, 
who  the  next  morning  got  an  interview  with  the  col- 
onel commanding  the  camp,  was  soon  on  his  way 
to  Washington,  with  important  information  which 
he  had  gained  within  the  rebel  lines. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN   THE   PAROLE   CAIVIP. 

A  T  the  time  of  m}-  arrival  at  the  parole  camp 
^^-^  my  clothing  was  very  ragged  and  dirty; 
the  natural  results  of  being  in  the  Confederacy 
nearly  four  months  without  change  of  garments. 
An  Irish  comrade  not  inaptly  described  my  cos- 
tume as  "  principally  composed  of  fresh  air." 

My  chief  ambition  at  that  time  was  to  expel  cer- 
tain familiar  invaders  from  my  clothing,  and  to 
obtain  an  army  blanket. 

Here  let  me  explain  that  a  ragged  soldier  was 
treated  with  as  much  discourtesy  as  a  ragged  citi- 
zen. 

If  better  dressed  men  listened  to  statements  from 
such  at  all,  it  was  with  incredulity,  as  if  the  fact  of 
their  raggedness  was  discreditable  beyond  expla- 
nation, and  that  the  only  acceptable  apology  for 
such  a  condition  Avas  a  speedy  change  to  a  new  or 
a  better  suit.  Hence  though  the  facts  which  led 
•  to  my  poverty  Avere  in  no  wise  discreditable  to  me, 
yet,  as  I  could  not  conveniently  convene  a  court 
of  inquiry  to  show  that  I  was  guiltless  of  malice 
aforethought,  that  poverty  brought  me  into  dis- 
credit.    I  visited  the  quarters  of  the  colonel  com- 

190 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  191 

manding  the  camp,  and  requested  that  I  might  be 
supplied  with  clothing.  The  response  was,  that 
no  such  supplies  had  been  issued  to  that  camp. 

I  had  written  to  my  aunt  that  I  had  reached  our 
lines  from  the  rebel  prisons,  and  needed  money, 
but  received  no  reply  for  many  days.  At  the 
thought  that  my  friends,  even,  had  deserted  me,  I 
became  despondent. 

The  food  provided  for  the  parole  camp  was  such 
as  is  usually  issued  to  soldiers,  but  the  craving  for 
luxuries  was  now  as  great  as  hitherto  the  desire 
had  been  for  necessities. 

The  want  of  respect  shown  me,  even  by  my 
ragged  associates,  chagrined  and  angered  me.  I 
could  not  understand  why  I  was  not  entitled  to 
the  same  consideration  among  my  fellows  as  when 
my  uniform  was  bright  and  clean,  and  my  position 
assured. 

I  was  in  this  vexed  and  fretful  mood  when,  on 
my  way  to  the  commanding  officer's  quarters   to 
plead  again  for  blankets  and  clothing,   I  noticed 
before  me  a  tall,  ragged,  angular  soldier,  whose 
gait  and  manner  seemed  familiar.     I  was  cudgel- 
ling my  brain  to  establish  some  connecting  link  of 
acquaintance    between    this    person    and    myself, 
when  he  arrived  at  the  colonel's  office,  and  burst " 
out  in  a  roar  of  indignant  inquiry,  — 
"  See  here,  air  you  the  colonel  ?  " 
"  Yes  :  what  is  it  you  wish,  my  man  ?  "  said  that 
personage,  in  sharp  and  forbidding  tones. 


192  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  What  do  I  want?  Why,  colonel,  I  want  most 
everything  !  I've  been  kicked  around  in  this  place 
nigh  on  to  three  weeks.  I  want  some  clothes  and 
a  blanket,  and  I  want  to  get  home  or  go  to  my 
regiment.  I'll  be  blamed  if  I  don't  want  every- 
thing, from  the  foundation  to  the  upper  story, 
and  this  is  the  wust  place  to  '  git  'em  '  I  ever 
see." 

The  manner  of  the  speaker  was  so  ludicrous  and 
impatient,  and  liis  growl  of  complaint  so  thunder- 
ous, that  I  could  not  help  laughing  heartily,  not- 
withstanding the  sym^^athy  I  had  felt  on  account 
of  the  similarity  of  our  errand  and  condition,  and 
more  especially  as  I  recognized  him  as  Sonny,  the 
dismounted  cavalryman,  whom  I  have  more  than 
once  mentioned  in  this  narrative. 

There  was  no  satisfaction  to  be  had  from  the 
colonel,  as  it  was  plain  he  could  not  give  us  what 
he  did  not  himself  possess.  He  had  been  so  much 
annoyed  by  similar  requests  that  he  was  not  very 
sweet  in  his  replies  to  ragged  applicants. 

The  government  was  at  this  time  endeavoring 
to  supply  the  "  Army  of  the  Potomac  "  with  cloth- 
ing, of  which  they  were  sadly  in  need  after  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  and  so  but  little  heed  was  paid 
to  those  who  (like  ourselves)  were  not  in  active 
service. 

Sonny  recognized  me  at  once,  and  as  we  turned 
away  he  growled  in  his  deepest  bass,  — 

^'  This  is  Camp  Destitution,  this  is !  '* 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  iS§ 

On  my  remarking  that  I  thought  there  was 
enough  to  eat,  he  assented,  saying,  — 

"  Yes,  enough  of  common  stuff,  sich  as  hard-tack 
and  pork,  but  after  a  man  has  been  in  Libby  Prison 
he  sort  o'  wants  some  fine  grub  to  fill  up  the 
chinks  with.  This  is  a  tough  place  to  get  any- 
thing. I  can't  git  a  letter  from  hum,  and  can't 
git  no  clothes  and  no  nuthin' !  " 

I  told  Sonny  that  I  had  been  unable  to  get  any 
money,  or  even  replies  to  my  letters.  "  I  believe 
some  one  up  to  the  camp  post-office  steals  the  let- 
ters that  have  money  in  them,"  said  Sonny. 

I  had  never  thought  of  this  before,  but  was  half 
inclined  to  believe  that  Sonny's  view  was  correct, 
and  this  suoforested  a  new  idea  to  me. 

"  Why  not  write  and  have  our  letters  addressed 
to  us  at  Annapolis,  instead  of  the  parole  camp  ?  " 
I  said. 

"Well,  now,  that's  a  good  idea,"  said  Sonny, 
looking  skyward,  as  if  it  had  something  to  do  with 
the  weather  instead  of  the  mails. 

"  I'll  write  right  off."  So  as  Sonny  had  a  little 
money,  which  he  proposed  to  share  with  me  in  the 
venture,  we  bought  paper,  envelopes,  and  postage 
stamps  at  the  sutler's ;  we  wrote  our  letters,  and 
mailed  them  at  the  camp  post-office. 

I  was  about  to  part  with  Sonny  when  he  in- 
quired, — 

"  Where  are  yer  stoppin'  ?  " 

I  told  him,  and  he  accompanied  me  to  my  quar- 


194  JEb'S  ADVMNftfM^^. 

ters,  which  were  in  an  A  tent  occupied  in  common 
with  several  other  ex-prisoners. 

"  Sho !  "  said  Sonny,  contemptuously  viewing 
the  premises,  "I  can  beat  this.  I've  got  a  tent, 
an  old  overcoat,  and  a  ragged  blanket,  and  all  to 
myself." 

I  inquired  how  it  happened  that  he  occupied  a 
tent  alone. 

"  Well,  you  see,  my  chums  complained  when  they 
was  put  into  the  same  tent  with  me.  I'd  got  to 
double  up  like  the  letter  Z,  or  leave  my  legs  out- 
doors in  the  cold ;  and  when  I  did  double  up  like  the 
last  of  the  A  B  C's,  I  lay  sort  of  zig-zag  acrost  the 
hull  tent,"  said  Sonny,  with  a  wink  and  a  grin  which 
suggested  that  he  could  have  improved  the  situa- 
tion if  he  had  tried. 

"  I  should  have  thought  they  would  have  kicked 
you  out,"  said  I. 

"Wall,  they  did  try  it,"  said  Sonny,  and  then 
relapsed  into  silence,  as  if  he  preferred  to  let  the 
fact  of  his  possession  of  the  tent  tell  its  own  story. 

So  I  took  up  my  quarters  with  Sonny,  and  a  bet- 
ter-hearted or  more  genial  comrade  I  could  not 
have  wished. 

"  I've  got  some  sweet  potatoes  and  chicken  for 
dinner,"  said  Sonny,  on  the  day  I  joined  my  for- 
tunes with  his. 

"How  did  you  buy  them?"  I  inquired,  amazed 
at  such  wealth. 

"  Buy !  "  exclaimed  Sonny,  in  a  tone  of  derision. 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  195 

"Why,  bunkie,  there's  splendid  foraging  'mong 
these  '  secesh '  around  here." 

As  I  made  no  answer  Sonny  continued,  "You 
see,  with  most  of  our  boys,  every  one  who  has  got 
chickens  or  such  things  is  a  'secesh,'  but  I  believe 
in  makin'  some  difference.  I  don't  mean  to  touch  a 
thing  that  I  know  belongs  to  a  Union  man.  I  don't 
sa}"  I  ain't  liable  to  mistakes,  though,  when  I  am 
awful  hungry.  But  when  I  know  a  man  is  a  rebel 
I  don't  care  a  bit  what  I  take  from  liis  farm ;  least- 
wise," said  Sonny  (with  a  qualifying  clause),  "if 
he  don't  use  his  shotgun  too  promiscuously.  I 
am  going  out  to  git  some  sweet  'taters  to-night. 
There's  an  old  fellow  out  here  that's  the  most  out- 
rageous '  secesh '  there  is  in  the  county,  and  he  keeps 
a  shotgun,  tew,  and  threatens  to  shoot  the  fust  Yank 
that  dares  dig  a  'tater  or  touch  a  chicken  on  his 
place.  If  you'll  go  out  with  me  we'll  have  some 
fun." 

I  confess  I  could  not  see  much  fun  in  the  pro- 
gramme outlined ;  besides,  I  had  conscientious 
scruples  against  getting  potatoes  in  this  manner. 
But  hunger  is  a  powerful  incentive,  and  often  fur- 
nishes more  arguments  for  evil-doing  than  it  gets 
credit  for.  So  as  night  came  on,  half  hesitating,  I 
started  out  with  Sonny  for  the  sweet-potato  field. 
I  had  one  haversack,  but  Sonny  had  two. 

It  was  evening  when  we  arrived  at  the  scene  of 
our  adventures.  The  planter's  house  stood  on  a 
hill,  while  in  the  intervale  below,  a  short  distance 


196  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

from  the  road,  there  were  one  or  two  acres  of 
sweet-potato  vines. 

It  was  quite  dark  as  we  began  silently  and 
stealthily  to  fill  our  haversacks.  I  had  almost  for- 
gotten my  objections  to  this  method  of  procuring 
supplies,  when  my  conscience  was  suddenly  re- 
stored by  the  report  of  a  double-barrelled  shot- 
gun. 

Not  desiring  any  further  statement  of  the  owner's 
wishes  regarding  his  sweet  potatoes,  I  at  once  took 
to  the  road  and  travelled,  but  Sonny  obstinately 
refused  to  accompany  me,  saying  he  would  meet 
me  on  the  cross-road. 

The  cross-road  was  about  a  mile  from  the  scene 
of  the  encounter,  but  the  frequent  reports  of  the 
planter's  shotgun  assisted  me  to  reach  it  in  a  very 
short  time. 

On  my  arrival  I  kindled  a  fire,  with  rails  for  fuel, 
and  awaited  anxiously  the  return  of  Sonny. 

The  soldiers  of  the  army,  while  prompted  by 
hunger  to  forage  in  this  manner,  were  in  the  habit 
of  reasoning  that  they  were  in  an  enemy's  country, 
and  therefore  had  a  right  to  confiscate  provisions ; 
while,  if  among  friends,  the  soldiers  considered 
themselves  their  defenders,  and  thus  entitled  to  as 
much  as  they  needed. 

The  loose  joint  in  this  iron-clad  reasoning  was, 
that  the  exponents  of  these  views  preferred  ''  dark- 
ness rather  than  light,"  while  availing  themselves 
of  their  assumed  rights. 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  1S7 

I  was  in  the  midst  of  reflections  of  this  char- 
acter, and  was  in  the  act  of  depositing  some  sweet 
potatoes  in  the  ashes  to  cook,  when  Sonny  came 
up  Avith  his  face  covered  with  blood,  but  with  both 
haversacks  bulging  out  with  provender. 

I  uttered  aloud  exclamation  at  sight  of  his  bloody 
face,  which  Sonny  calmly  explained  by  saying, 
^'  That  old  scamp  filled  me  with  pigeon-shot.  I  be- 
lieve I  should  have  run  if  I  hadn't  been  under  fire 
before.  I'll  git  even  with  him.  I  won't  leave  a 
sweet  potato  nor  a  chicken  on  his  place." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Sonny,  that  we  were  really 
stealing  those  potatoes  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Sho  !  how  you  talk  !  We  were  foraging,  — 
sort  of  informally,  of  course,  —  and  if  that  ole  feller 
can  prove  a  claim,  and  prove  his  loyalty  alongside 
of  his  claim,  he  can  collect  his  bill  of  Uncle  Sam 
just  as  slick  as  grease." 

"  Well,"  argued  I,  "  Uncle  Sam  provides  us  with 
rations,  and,  according  to  your  views,  he  is  liable 
to  pay  an  additional  bill  for  these  potatoes.  If  we 
have  got  justice  on  our  side,  why  not  go  by  day- 
light and  help  ourselves  ?  " 

''  Well,"  said  Sonny,  ''  I  usually  go  in  the  night 
to  save  time,  and  because  it  isn't  best  to  harrow  up 
these  rebs'  feelings  needlessly.  We  air  commanded 
to  love  our  enemies.  I  find  it  purty  hard  work  to 
do  that,  since  I  come  out  of  Libby  Prison,  so  I  come 
as  near  to  it  as  possible,  and  love  their  chickens 
and  sweet  potatoes.     Yer  can't  expect  a  man  who 


198  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

is  just  out  of  their  miserable  holes  to  do  more  than 
that,  can  yer?  " 

This  speech  was  followed  by  a  low,  hoarse 
chuckle,  not  unlike  distant  thunder,  which  showed 
that  Sonny  was  arguing  more  for  fun  than  from 
conviction. 

That  night  we  slept  under  a  haystack,  and  in 
the  morning  Sonny  was  scarcely  able  to  walk,  be- 
cause of  a  pigeon  shot  which  had  lodged  under  his 
kneejDan.  This  prevented  his  getting  around  camp 
much  for  several  weeks. 

There  were  about  two  thousand  men  in  the 
parole  camp  at  Annapolis,  at  this  time.  Up  to  this 
period,  we  had  been  allowed  to  visit  the  city,  which 
was  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  from  camp. 

Now,  however,  a  new  sutler  with  a  large  stock  of 
goods  had  built  a  long,  low  building,  one  part  of 
which  was  a  dining-room,  and  the  other  a  store  or 
salesroom.  Whether  by  arrangement  with  the 
colonel  or  by  some  strange  coincidence,  all  passes 
to  go  to  town  were  then  cut  off;  a  strict  guard 
was  established  around  the  camp,  and  the  prices  at 
the  sutler's  were  made  almost  double  those  for- 
merly asked;  and  as  a  consequence,  the  paroled 
prisoners  were  as  angry  as  hornets. 

Sonny,  who,  cut  off  from  foraging,  was  now  op- 
pressed with  more  than  his  usual  hunger,  hav- 
ing in  some  unexplained  way  got  a  dollar,  declared 
his  intention  of  having  "  one  good  square  meal "  at 
the  sutler's. 


In  the  parole  camp.  l9d 

Some  twenty  minutes  after  Sonny  entered  the 
sutler's,  we  saw  him  being  forcibly  ejected.  He 
was  very  angry,  and  excitedly  explained  that  he 
had  sat  down  to  eat  after  paying  a  dollar  for  his 
dinner,  and  that  some  officers  had  come  in  and 
seated  themselves  at  the  same  table,  and  then  he 
had  been  told  he  could  not  eat  at  the  same  table 
with  officers. 

"  I  said  to  that  sutler  man,  '  Ain't  that  dollar  a 
good  one  ?  '  he  said,  '  Yes.'  '  Well  then,  I'm  going 
to  have  a  dinner ! '  and,"  continued  Sonny,  roaring 
oratorically,  "  I'm  a  son  of  Maine,  a  freeman,  and 
a  soldier  of  the  Union,  and  was  choked  off  at  that 
'  shebang  '  in  the  act  of  eating  a  chicken  !  " 

Sonny  was  hot  and  angry,  and  his  anger  was 
contagious ;  as  he  had  been  abused  by  a  common 
enemy,  —  the  sutler,  —  he  soon  had  many  cham- 
pions, and  the  sutler  many  enemies.  One  of  the 
former  made  a  furious  speech,  telling  the  incident 
of  Sonny's  ejection  after  paying  for  a  dinner,  and 
before  eating  it.  The  crowd  became  furious,  and, 
turning  upon  the  sutler's  shop,  tore  it  down,  dis- 
tributing its  contents  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken 
me  to  write  about  it. 

The  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  who  made  up  the 
camp  guard,  w^ere  brought  out  and  ordered  to  fire, 
but  it  did  no  good.  They  understood  the  situa- 
tion, and  were  in  sympathy  with  the  ex-prisoners. 
One  of  them  would  say  in  loud  tones,  to  a  prisoner 
with  a  box  of  tobacco,  "  Drop  that,  you  scoundrel, 


200  JED'S  ADVENTURE^. 

you!  "  and  then  in  lower  tones  would  add,  "  Put 
some  in  my  pocket." 

Sonny  got  enough  of  these  goods  to  appease  any 
ordinary  anger,  but  he  still  bewailed  his  loss,  that, 
in  the  act  of  eating  a  chicken,  he  had  been  kicked 
out  of  the  sutler's  dining-room. 

He  was  going  on  in  this  way  when  I  ventured 
to  suggest  that  perhaps  he  had  already  eaten  a 
dollar's  worth  before  they  invented  an  excuse  to 
choke  him  off.  Sonny  protested  that  he  "  Hadn't 
scarcely  eaten  nuthin'  wdien  the  rumpus  begun ! 
There  w^as  about  half  a  pot  of  beans,  and  a  loaf  of 
brown  bread,  and  butter,  and  a  few  such  things 
that  I  had  eaten,  and  had  just  got  down  to  solid 
work  on  that  chicken  when  they  choked  me  off." 
And  as  Sonny  showed  symptoms  of  getting  angry, 
I  dared  not  quiz  him  any  more. 

Thinking  it  was  about  time  for  the  letters  which 
I  had  asked  to  have  directed  to  Annapolis,  to 
arrive,  I  applied  for  a  pass  to  go  to  the  city.  It 
was  refused.  I  was  told  that  I  could  give  orders 
to  have  my  letters  sent  to  the  camp  post-office. 

That  night  I  '^  ran  the  guard,"  reached  Annap- 
olis, and  slept  under  a  shed  near  the  wharf  until 
morning.  I  then  went  to  the  post-office,  but  found 
it  closed.  I  inquired  of  a  soldier  why  the  office 
was  not  open.  He  laughed,  and  replied  laconically, 
"Sunday."  So  much  had  one  day  been  like 
another,  in  parole  camp  as  well  as  in  prison,  that 
I  had  lost  my  reckoning  of  the  days  of  the  week. 


IN  THE  PAROLE  CAMP.  201 

I  was  hungry,  and  not  knowing  where  my  break- 
fast was  coming  from,  I  nervously  w^alked  the 
streets,  planning  what  to  do  next. 

Thus  meditating,  I  ran  against  an  officer  who 
was  hobbling  up  the  street  on  crutches,  and  almost 
knocked  him  off  his  feet.  I  turned  to  apologize, 
when  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  Captain 
Gruff.  I  was  so  overjoyed  at  sight  of  him,  that  I 
could  only  hold  out  my  hands  and  cry  like  a 
child. 

He  put  liis  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  answered 
my  appeal  by  handing  me  some  fractional  cur- 
rency, which  was  then  in  use.  He  did  not 
know  me. 

"Soldier,  vat  is  the  matter?"  interrogated  the 
old  soldier,  in  his  stern,  military  tones. 

"Don't  you  know  me.  Captain  Gruff?  Don't 
you  know  Dick  Nickerson?"  I  exclaimed.' 

The  captain  recognized  my  voice,  and  his  whole 
manner  changed ;  something  rose  up  in  his  throat 
and  choked  his  voice,  while  tears  came  to  his  eyes, 
as  he  said, — 

"  My  poor  poy,  my  poor  poy  !  too  pad,  too  pad ! 
Vat  have  they  done  to  you?" 

I  briefly  told  him  my  story  and  Jed's. 

"  Veil,  Dick,  you  must  have  somethin'  to  vare 
first,  and  then  somethin'  to  eat,"  and  with  this  he 
hurried  me  around  a  corner  where  a  Jew  was  keej)- 
ing  open  shop,  thrust  a  roll  of  bills  into  my  hand, 
and,  giving  me  directions  to  find  his  quarters  at 


202  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

the  Naval  Hospital,  he  started  off  to  get  me  up  a 
spread,  or,  as  he  called  it,  a  "  goot  tinner." 

I  bought  a  fine  suit  of  citizen's  clothes,,  including 
shirts,  collar  and  neck-tie,  boots,  and  a  nice  forage 
cap,  such  as  officers  wear,  —  the  only  article  of 
military  goods  in  his  shop, — and  with  these  in  a 
bundle  I  went  to  a  hotel  where  a  barber's  shop  and 
bathroom  were  open. 

I  first  got  a  shave,  had  my  hair  cut,  and  then  in- 
quired, "  Can  I  get  a  bath  ? "  and  received  the 
answer,  "  Yes,  if  you  can  pay  in  advance  for  it." 

I  think  I  never  enjoyed  anything  more  than  that 
bath.  I  rolled  my  old  rags  into  a  bundle,  got  into 
my  new  suit,  and  was  my  old  self  again.  How 
glorious  to  be  clean  and  well  dressed ! 

The  clothes  fitted  me  nicely,  and  as  I  once  more 
entered  the  main  room  to  view  myself  in  the  glass, 
the  proprietor  bowed  to  me  respectfully,  saying, 
"The  price  of  your  bath,  sir,  if  you  please." 

"  I  paid  for  it  in  advance,  as  you  requested,"  I 
replied. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  he  exclaimed,  amazed  at  my 
transformation,  "  you  are  not  the  man  who  went 
into  No.  7,  are  you  ?  " 

Bowing  my  acknowledgment  of  the  fact,  I  went 
on  my  way  to  Captain  Gruff's  quarters,  impressed 
for  the  first  time  at  the  power  of  dress  among  men. 

Captain  Gruff  was  pleased  with  my  appearance, 
and  introduced  me  to  his  friends.  After  dinner  I 
narrated  my  experience  and  adventures,  and  the 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  203 

noble  part  Jed  had  taken  in  my  rescue  from  sick- 
ness and  death  at  Belle  Isle. 

Captain  Gruff's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  his 
ordinarily  firm  hand  trembled  as  he  filled  his  pipe, 
while  he  exclaimed,  ''  Ah,  dot  Jed !  He's  a  fine 
poy,  a  fine  poy.  He  saves  me  from  being  one  hog 
of  a  trunkard.  Shentlemen,  I  loves  dot  poy,  and 
dot's  de  reason  I  vill  not  trink  mit  you  sometimes 
ven  you  asks  me.  I  feel  as  if  I  could  not  look  into 
dot  poy's  goot  eyes  if  I  tid." 

There  was  not  an  officer  at  the  table  but  that 
respected  him  for  this,  for  the  silent  tribute  of  a 
tear  was  seen  on  their  faces  at  the  touch  of  nature 
in  the  brave  old  soldier,  who,  even  in  the  midst  of 
carnage,  danger,  and  death,  seldom  showed  emotion. 

The  captain  now  told  me  his  experience  at  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  The  regiments  under 
Hooker  had  attacked  Jackson  in  the  railroad  cut, 
and  there  he  had  been  wounded. 

He  told  me  that  my  aunt  had  written  to  him  at 
different  times  to  make  inquiries  for  me,  and  that 
her  grief  was  very  great  at  my  being  a  prisoner. 
"And,  Dick,  dot  leetle  voman  has  lost  all  her 
money  vich  she  invested  mit  dot  Squire  Weston," 
said  Gruff  pathetically. 

I  was  a  different  person,  in  my  own  estimation, 
as  I  retraced  my  steps  towards  parole  camp  the 
next  morning.  Walking  up  to  the  colonel's  quar- 
ters, I  saluted  that  officer,  who  did  not  recognize 
in  me  the  ragged  sup^^liant  who  had  besieged  his 


204  ,       JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

quarters  for  a  month  past.  He  arose,  shook  my 
hand  cordially,  and  invited  me  to  take  a  seat  in  his 
office. 

"  I  am  a  paroled  prisoner,  colonel,  but  do  not 
wish  to  take  up  my  quarters  among  the  other  dirty 
prisoners." 

He  was  kind  enough  to  appreciate  my  feelings, 
and  invited  me  to  accept  a  blanket  in  his  own 
tent.  I  not  only  accepted  this  offer,  but  also  that 
of  a  clerkship  offered  me  in  the  office. 

Not  long  after  I  had  been  installed  as  clerk,  I 
heard  the  familiar  voice  of  Sonny,  deep  and  vibrant 
as  thunder.  ''  Say,  Cap,  ain't  I  never  goin'  to  git 
a  blanket  nor  nothin'  ?  " 

Seeing  that  he  did  not  recognize  me,  I  could  not 
resist  having  some  fun  at  his  expense.  So  I  re- 
plied, "  There's  an  old  man  about  three  miles  from 
here,  up  the  Baltimore  road,  ^vllo  says  that  a  big 
fellow  with  two  haversacks  has  carried  off  a  lot  of 
his  sweet  potatoes,  and  some  of  his  pigeon  shot." 

Sonny's  amazement  can  better  be  imagined  than 
described.  His  confusion  was  so  great  that  he 
could  hardly  speak,  but  he  finally  burst  out  with 
the  exclamation,  ''It's  a  thunderin'  lie.  Cap.  I 
ain't  touched  a  sweet  potato  belonging  to  no  one, 
—  leastwise,  none  of  any  good  Union  man  ;  besides, 
I'm  lame,  and  couldn't  git  eout  to  a  potato  patch  if 
I  tried." 

"  At  what  battle  were  you  wounded?  "  I  inquired. 

**  During  the  Peninsula  fights  I  was  wounded 


IN  THE  PAROLE   CAMP.  205 

and  tuck  prisoner."  All  of  which  the  reader  knows 
to  be  true. 

"  Was  that  where  you  got  that  pigeon  shot  under 
your  knee  ?  "  I  inquired  gravely. 

To  see  Sonny's  mouth  open,  and  eyes  protrude, 
in  amazement  was  too  much  for  my  gravity.  When 
I  could  control  my  face  again  I  said,  "  Don't  mind 
my  teasing,  Sonny.  Here  is  an  order  for  a  suit  of 
clothes  and  a  blanket.  Some  clothing  came  in  this 
morning,  and  this  is  the  first  order  issued." 

Sonny  then  recognized  me,  but  could  hardly  be- 
lieve his  senses.  "  Gosh  !  "  he  said,  "how  did  you 
'ring  in'  with  the  colonel  and  get  your  meetin' 
clothes  ?  Say,  Dick,  put  me  up  to  it,  and  I'll  git 
some  tu." 

If  I  did  not  help  Sonny  in  this  way,  I  did  in 
others,  such  as  giving  his  chronic  hunger  a  chance  at 
the  colonel's  cook's  quarters,  and  loaning  him  money. 

On  my  visits  to  Captain  Gruff  at  the  Naval  Hos- 
pital he  urged  me  to  go  home  as  soon  as  I  could 
get  a  furlough,  and  attend  to  my  aunt's  affairs.  I 
had  written  to  her  again  shortly  after  meeting  Cap- 
tain Gruff,  and  had  received  a  reply  saying  that  she 
had  sent  money  to  me  at  the  parole  camp  after 
receiving  my  fii^st  letter,  but  that  she  had  not  sent 
much,  as  she  had  but  very  little.  She  had  in- 
trusted all  her  money  to  Squire  Weston,  for  which 
she  had  taken  no  receipt,  and  since  then  the  squire 
had  declared  that  she  had  not  deposited  a  cent  in 
his  hands  for  investment. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ON  FURLOUGH  AT   HOME. 

SOON  after  the  incidents  recorded  in  the  fore- 
going chapter,  I  received  a  letter  from  Jed, 
informing  me  that  he  was  in  the  parole  camp  near 
Alexandria,  Va.  When,  a  little  later,  a  large  num- 
ber of  our  prisoners  were  transferred  to  that  camp, 
I  obtained  permission  to  go  with  them,  and  was 
soon  with  Jed  again. 

The  parole  camp  at  Alexandria  Avas  situated  on 
the  level  plain  northwest  of,  and  near,  the  city.  It 
was  well  kept,  and  was  often  visited  by  the  women 
of  the  "  Sanitary  Commission,"  who  furnished  the 
newly  arrived  and  ragged  prisoners  with  needed 
articles  of  clothing,  and  sometimes  with  luxuries 
in  the  way  of  food.  Jed  was  very  enthusiastic  in 
his  praise  of  these  women,  whose  devotion  to  suf- 
fering soldiers  was  so  much  in  'contrast  with  the 
selfish  sentiments  of  many  he  had  encountered 
around  Washington. 

"  To  be  a  Christian,"  said  Jed  thoughtfully, 
when  speaking  of  these  women,  "  is  to  be  Christ- 
like ;  and  to  be  like  Him  is  to  forget  one's  self  in 
care  and  love  for  others.  When  we  really  love 
20a 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  207 

Him  it  is  natural  to  forget  ourselves,  because  that 
love  is  so  great  there  is  no  room  for  any  other 
love  ; "  and  as  Jed  continued  speaking,  his  face 
shone  with  the  transfiguring  light  of  the  Master's 
love. 

I  showed  Jed  my  aunt's  letter,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  if  possible  we  would  obtain  furloughs  and  go 
home  to  see  our  friends,  and  call  Lawyer  Weston  to 
an  account  for  the  loss  of  my  aunt's  money. 

Aunt  Tempy's  letters  gave  us  a  confused  and 
what  Jed  termed  a  '^  mixed  account  "  of  her  affairs, 
as  if  she  hardly  understood  in  what  manner  or  for 
what  purposes  she  had  intrusted  her  money  to 
Squire  Weston. 

That  very  day  we  each  made  an  application  for 
a  thirty  days'  furlough,  which  was  indorsed  by  the 
colonel  commanding,  and  forwarded  to  Washing- 
ton, with  the  recommendation  that  it  be  granted. 

We  waited  anxiously  three  weeks,  when  our  ap- 
plications came  back  to  headquarters  with  various 
indorsements  in  red  and  black  ink  across  the  folded 
document,  and  looking,  Jed  laughingly  declared,  as 
if  the  entire  clerical  force  of  the  War  Department 
had  been  put  at  work  upon  it. 

The  principal  indorsement  on  each,  however, 
was,  ''The  within  application  for  a  furlough  can- 
not be  granted,  as  the  within-named  soldier  is  a 
'  paroled  prisoner  of  war.'  " 

We  did  not  understand  the  significance  of  this 
indorsement,  except  that  our  request  was  refused ; 


208  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

and  we  were  discussing  the  probable  meaning  of 
the  refusal,  somewhat  loudly,  after  the  manner  of 
boy  soldiers,  when  a  rough-featured  captain,  whom 
we  recognized  as  being  connected  with  the  camp, 
stopped  and  inquired  in  pleasant  tones,  — 

"  What  is  it,  boys  ?  " 

Jed  showed  him  the  document,  and  asked,  — 

"  Does  the  fact  of  our  being  paroled  prisoners 
debar  us  from  receiving  a  furlough  ?  " 

''  Why,  as  near  as  I  can  understand  the  matter," 
said  Captain  Jones,  "  the  cartel  or  agreement  now 
in  force  between  the  Confederates  and  the  United 
States  is,  that  no  exchange  of  prisoners  among 
those  paroled  is  to  take  place  until  the  government 
holding  the  smallest  number  has  swapped  all  the 
prisoners  they  have  on  hand ;  the  balance  of  the 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  other  government  are 
paroled  or  turned  over  to  the  parties  tliey  belonged 
to,  and  held,  as  it  were,  in  trust,  and  to  be  fed  and 
cared  for,  until  declared  exchanged  by  both 
parties. 

"  Our  position  is  this  ;  the  Confederates  had  more 
prisoners  than  the  United  States,  and  the  paroled 
prisoners,  here  and  elsewhere,  represent  that  sur- 
plus, for  which  the  United  States  are  responsible 
to  the  so-called  Confederate  government." 

"  Then  we've  got  to  stay  here  until  '  Uncle  Sam  ' 
can  catch  enough  rebs  to  swap  for  us  ?  "  said  Jed. 

"  Yes,  that's  exactly  it ! "  said  the  captain, 
smiling. 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  209 

"  What  regiment  do  you  belong  to  ?  "  inquired 
the  captain. 

We  told  him,  at  which  he  said,  "  It  was  one  of 
the  best  regiments  in  the  service." 

"- 1  don't  know  that  I  want  to  go  back  to  my 
regiment  anyway,  if  it  is  a  crack  regiment !  "  said 
Jed,  exchanging  a  glance  with  me. 

A  frown  came  over  the  captain's  face,  as  he 
roughly  responded,  "  I  suppose  you  mean  to  shirk 
or  desert,  then  ?  " 

I  explained  to  him  Jed's  situation,  —  that  he  had 
been  in  the  enemy's  lines  for  information,  and  that 
it  had  been  debated  between  us  whether  it  was  best 
for  him  to  go  back  to  his  old  regiment  or  get  trans- 
ferred to  some  other. 

"  Oh !  I  see,"  said  the  captain,  smiling  once  more, 
"  if  he  is  captured  while  belonging  to  the  same 
regiment  he  might  be  identified  as  a  spy  and 
hanged  !  Come  into  my  regiment,  boys,  if  you  can 
get  your  transfer  ;  good  regiment !  and  I'm  going 
back  to  my  company  as  soon  as  I'm  exchanged."" 

"  I  have  not  decided,"  replied  Jed :  "  there's 
danger  to  every  one  who  does  his  duty  in  the  army, 
and  it  makes  but  little  difference  where  we  fall." 

"  Ah !  "  said  the  captain,  "  a  man  never  loves 
his  country  so  dearly  as  when  he  constantly  puts 
himself  up  to  be  shot  for  her ;  and  we  seem  to 
love  a  cause  just  in  proportion  to  what  we  give 
to  it." 

"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  he 


210  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

giveth  his  life  for  another,"  softly  repeated  Jed  with 
that  self-communing  look,  wliich  at  times  seemed 
to  come  from  a  light  within,  upon  his  face. 

"Humph!"  said  the  captain  gruffly.  "There 
is  no  one  I  should  like  to  fight  as  well  as  I  do  these 
rebs;  I'm  not  bloodthirsty,  but  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
fighting  for  the  Union  and  in  God's  service,"  and 
the  captain  turned  away. 

It  was  in  December  that  we  were  declared  ex- 
changed, and  ordered  to  report  for  duty  with  our 
regiment,  now  lying  at  Falmouth,  before  Fred- 
ericksburg. 

"This  won't  do,"  said  Jed;  "there's  not  likely 
to  be  any  fighting  during  the  winter  months,  and 
we  must  get  a  furlough  to  see  to  your  aunt's  affairs." 

"  '  Must '  is  a  good  word,  but  '  How,'  armed  with 
an  interrogation  point,  stands  on  guard,"  I  re- 
spbnded. 

"  I'm  acquainted  with  Secretary  Stanton ;  he's 
a  first-rate  man,  and  I  think  he  will  do  something 
for  us  if  I  ask  him,"  said  Jed  simply. 

I  turned  to  Jed  to  see  whether  he  was  demented 
or  joking,  for  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  men- 
tioned the  great  Secretary  of  War.  Jed  then  ex- 
plained to  me  that,  on  leaving  Annapolis,  he  had 
had  an  interview  with  Secretary  Stanton,  who  had 
treated  him  very  kindly,  and,  as  Jed  said,  had  asked 
him  more  questions  than  Captain  Gruff  asked  from 
the  manual  in  the  "  School  of  the  Soldier." 

We  obtained  a  pass  to  go  to  Washington  to  get 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  211 

from  the  War  Department,  if  possible,  the  required 
furlough.  A  guard  stood  at  the  door  of  the  War 
Office,  and  halted  us  as  we  approached. 

"  No  one  allowed  to  pass  here,"  crisply  explained 
the  guard,  in  answer  to  our  questions. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  Secretary  of  War,"  said  Jed. 

"  Rles  of  people  been  here  saying  the  same  thing," 
replied  the  guard,  as  stiffly  as  his  Western  manners 
would  allow. 

Just  then  a  man  rushed  by  us,  who  was  halted 
as  peremptorily  as  we  had  been,  by  the  sentry  in- 
terposing his  musket  in  front  of  him. 

"  Let  me  pass,"  angrily  roared  the  man,  in  a  deep 
voice. 

The  person  thus  brought  to  bay  was  a  short, 
stout  old  man,  with  a  large  head,  and  iron-gray 
hair  and  beard  which  bristled  out  at  many  angles, 
while  every  feature  worked  with  irritable  impa- 
tience. 

Jed  touched  this  man  on  the  shoulder,  and  said 
respectfully,  "I  have  come  to  see  you  again, 
sir." 

The  person  thus  addressed  turned  slowly  towards 
Jed,  as  if  in  suppressed  anger,  but,  to  my  surprise, 
on  seeing  Jed  the  expression  of  his  face  softened, 
as  he  extended  his  hand  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

Turning  to  the  sentinel,  he  said,  in  his  deep 
tones,  "  I  am  the  Secretary  of  War :  let  me  pass 
with  these  gentlemen."  The  guard  brought  his 
musket  to  a  salute,  and  we  passed  into  the  office. 


212  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

The  secretary  turned  to  Jed,  and  im]3atiently, 
but  without  anger,  said,  "Where  did  you  go  a 
month  ago,  after  leaving  this  office  ?  " 

"  I  gave  you  my  information,  then  reported  to 
the  provost-marshal,  who  sent  me  to  the  parole 
camp  at  Alexandria.  I  have  now  returned  to  ask 
a  favor  for  myself  and  friend,"  replied  Jed  grfv^ely. 

*'  Ask  it,"  said  the  secretary  pleasantly. 

"  We  want  a  furlough." 

Turning  to  me  slowly,  instead  of  replying  to  Jed, 
he  brusquely  asked,  "  What  are  you  doing  in  citi- 
zen's clothes,  sir?  " 

I  explained  to  him  my  condition  when  I  came 
from  Belle  Isle,  and  the  impossibility  of  obtain- 
ing any  clothing  at  the  parole  camp  at  An- 
napolis. 

Dashing  his  glasses  from  his  eyes  with  a  gesture 
of  impatience,  he  jerked  at  the  bell-cord  hanging 
from  the  ceiling  of  the  office,  which  rang  a  noisy 
bell.  An  officer  from  an  adjoining  room  answered 
the  call,  and  to  him  the  secretary  gave  orders  for 
an  inquiry  to  be  made  into  the  condition  of  pris- 
oners at  the  parole  camp  at  Annapolis. 

The  secretary  then,  without  further  notice  of 
me,  turned  to  Jed,  and,  putting  his  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  said,  "  You  are  but  a  boy,  but  you  have 
acted  a  man's  part,  and  a  brave  one  at  that.  I  can- 
not do  too  much  for  brave  boys  like  you.  Your 
furloughs  will  be  made  out  and  forwarded  to  the 
parole  camp  at  once." 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME,  213 

We  were  soon  at  home.  How  familiar  the  streets 
looked  as  we  passed  on  tlirough  the  village  !  We 
reached  my  aunt's  house  and  knocked.  No  response. 
We  knocked  still  louder,  but  no  answer  came  to 
our  summons.  We  went  around  by  the  back 
veranda  and  peered  into  the  kitchen  windows. 
The  kitchen  was  deserted,  and  no  furniture  or 
stove. 

"She  has  moved,"  said  Jed. 

"•  Let  us  go  over  to  Silas  Eaton's  and  inquire,"  I 
suggested. 

Here  a  stranger  came  to  the  door,  and  to  all  our 
questions  replied,  "  Don't  know." 

We  then  started  for  the  village  to  make  inquiries. 
On  our  way  a  dog  rushed  out  of  a  yard  barking 
furiously,  but  suddenly  ceased,  and  began  leaping 
first  on  one  and  then  on  the  other  of  us,  with  frantic 
whines  and  yelps.  It  was  Mink.  After  caressing 
him  with  extravagant  demonstrations,  second  only 
to  those  of  the  dog,  Jed  said,  ''  If  Mink  came  out  of 
that  house  your  aunt  is  there,  too  ;  "  and  we  started 
up  the  yard,  but  before  we  could  reach  the  door  my 
aunt  came  rushing  out  of  the  house  with  her  apron 
over  her  head,  and  almost  rivalled  Mink  in  her 
demonstrations  of  delig'ht. 

"  Why  don't  you  live  in  your  own  house  ?  "  I 
inquired  of  my  aunt. 

Pausing  in  her  joyful  congratulations  she  burst 
into  tears,  and  began  to  "  take  on,"  as  Jed  called 
it. 


214  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

It  was  some  time  before  she  could  tell  me  her 
troubles. 

She  had  mortgaged  her  house  to  Lawyer  Weston, 
to  get  money  to  invest  in  bonds  recommended  b}^ 
him.  The  mortgage  had  been  foreclosed,  and 
Squire  "Weston  denied  that  he  had  ever  received 
any  money  from  her.  He  had  not  turned  her  out 
of  her  house,  but  had  sent  her  word  that  she  might 
live  there  free  of  rent,  but  this  she  had  angrily 
refused  to  do. 

"  And,"  continued  my  aunt,  "  I  took  that  check 
you  sent  to  me,  and  hired  this  little  cottage. 
I  don't  know  what  I  should  have  done  but  for 
that  money." 

Jed  glanced  inquiringly  at  me,  because  he  knew 
that  I  had  not  sent  the  check,  as  I  had  been  paid 
off  only  three  days  previous  to  leaving  the  parole 
camp. 

"  How  did  the  check  come  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  In  an  envelope,"  replied  my  aunt,  not  seeming 
to  notice  the  significance  of  my  question,  and  she 
continued,  — 

"  Here's  the  envelope ;  it  wasn't  nice  in  you, 
Dick,  not  to  write  when  you  sent  the  money." 

We  looked  at  the  envelope,  which  was  post- 
marked Annapolis.  The  writing,  though  like 
mine,  was  unmistakably  that  of  Captain  Gruff. 

The  generous  old  captain  had  sent  the  money 
which  my  aunt  believed  had  come  from  me.  We 
did  not  undeceive  her,  and  she  was  so  overjoyed  at 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  215 

our  return  that  she  did  not  notice  the  lameness  of 
my  reply. 

The  sentiment  with  which  soldiers  were  regarded 
had  changed  since  we  were  last  in  our  little  town. 
Then  it  was  fashionable  to  pet  and  compliment 
them ;  at  this  stage  of  the  Avar,  however,  soldiers 
had  become  too  common  to  be  looked  upon  as 
heroes,  especially  by  those  who  were  not  a  little 
ashamed  that  they  had  not  illustrated  their  talka- 
tive patriotism  by  going  to  the  froiit. 

As  we  passed  on  to  the  principal  business  street 
of  the  village,  a  new  shop  with  plate-glass  windows 
arrested  our  attention.  Looking  up  to  the  sign 
we  read,  '^  Silas  Eaton,  Ladies  and  Gents'  Shoes." 
We  entered  and  accosted  the  proprietor,  who  now 
wore  a  funereal  suit  of  shining  black  clothes,  and 
a  stiff,  laundried  collar.  Though  Silas  had  left  the 
shoe-bench,  he  was  not  changed  for  the  better ;  his 
face  had  the  same  querulous  snarled-up  look  —  as 
Jed  called  it,  and  his  manner  was  as  dogmatic  as 
usual. 

"We  didn't  expect  to  find  you  at  home,  Silas  !  " 
I  remarked.  "•  We  thought  to  find  you  planning 
campaigns  and  leading  our  soldiers  at  the  front." 

''  No,"  said  Silas,  "  I  ain't  gone  yet,  'cause,  ye 
see,  I  think  I  can  do  more  good  at  home.  I  did 
have  a  kmd  o'  notion  of  goin'  out  as  an  officer, 
'cause  the  pay  was  good;  but  I  got  ter  makin' 
money  here  like  smoke,  and  I'm  more  use  here 
than  if  I  was  fitin'." 


216  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  Whatever  else  has  occurred,"  said  Jed  tartly, 
"  you  are  neither  an  officer  nor  a  [here  he  hesitated 
as  if  he  had  started  to  say  gentleman]  private." 

"  Du  you  tliink  this  war  will  hold  on  till  spring?  " 
inquired  Silas. 

I  answered,  "  Yes." 

"  Well,"  said  Silas,  with  a  look  of  relief,  "  if  it 
duz  I  shall  be  quite  forehanded.  You  see  that 
new  house  out  there  ? "  pointing  to  a  large,  pre- 
tentious residence.  "Well,  that  house  is  mine,  the 
next  one  tu  it  is  Lawyer  Weston's,  and  the  'tother 
one  belongs  to  William  Tucker,  the  shoe  manu- 
facturer. He's  my  partner,  and  we've  got  a 
profitable  contract  for  shoes,  so  you  see  we  do  our 
part  towards  helpin'  on  the  war." 

"Yes,"  said  Jed,  "you  combine  profit  with  pa- 
triotism." 

We  afterwards  learned  that  the  firm  used  paste- 
board, ground  leather,  and  other  shoddy  stock  in 
manufacturing  soldiers'  shoes,  and  in  this  manner 
they  had  made  a  fortune. 

"  How  did  you  make  your  money  ?  "  inquired 
Jed. 

"  Well,  we've  manufactured  shoes  and  have  got 
tu  or  three  other  strings  to  our  bow.  Lawyer 
Weston,  did  you  say?  he's  a  sharp  one;  mustn't 
say  nothin'  against  him,  though ;  he's  a  forehanded, 
respectable  man." 

"  He  may  be  sharp,"  I  replied,  "  but  he  does  not 
give  very  good  advice  to  his  clients.     My  aunt 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  217 

mortgaged  her  house  and  put  the  money  into  the 
squire's  hands,  and  now  she  has  lost  her  house,  and 
the  squire  denies  receiving  her  money." 

"Wall,  I  heard  somethin'  about  that;  but  the 
squire  has  alius  been  accounted  honest,  though 
he's  sharp,  and  money  will  stick  to  his  fingers. 
Men  don't  change  their  natures  in  a  day,  and  the 
squire  is  lionest.  Say,  yeou,  didn't  your  aunt  git 
a  receipt  from  the  squire  ?  " 

We  replied  that  she  did  not. 

"Tlie  only  proof  she's  got  is  her  own  word, 
then,  —  w^ell.  Temperance  Nickerson  won't  lie,  and 
the  squire  is  honest  —  don't  see  how  it  is,"  solilo- 
quized Silas.  "  But  when  a  man  makes  mone}^  lots 
of  folks  stand  ready  to  declare  he  made  it  cheatin'," 
he  added,  Avith  a  virtuous  smirk  on  his  querulous 
face. 

Uncle  John  Warren,  of  whom  mention  has  been 
made  in  a  previous  chapter,  was  esteemed  a  sound 
counsellor,  and  an  honest,  God-fearing  man.  As 
he  was  a  former  friend  of  my  father  I  determined 
to  consult  him. 

We  found  the  old  man  in  his  sitting-room,  and 
he  welcomed  us  heartily.  After  hearing  our  story, 
he  said  in  his  deep,  measured  tones,  — 

"  I  do  not  see  that  anything  can  be  done  in  this 
matter,  until  jow  have  proof  that  the  squire  re- 
ceived your  aunt's  money,  and  then  you  must  place 
your  case  in  the  hands  of  an  honest  man.  The 
evidence  is  circumstantial,  all  except  this  direct 


218  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

testimony  of  your  aunt's,  that  she  gave  the  money 
to  Squire  Weston.  It  is  well  known  that  she 
mortgaged  her  house  on  his  advice,  and  you  say 
you  have  her  letter  asking  your  opinion  of  the  in- 
vestment. My  advice  is  for  you  to  go  to  Squire 
Weston  himself  and  see  what  he  says.  He  has 
always  been  thought  to  be  honest,  though  a  hard 
man,  who  looked  out  for  his  own.  The  prevail- 
ing haste  for  wealth  may  have  taken  hold  of  the 
squire  ;  for  the  Holy  Writ  says,  '  a  man  can't  serve 
God  and  Mammon.' " 

The  old  man  heard  the  story  of  our  army  experi- 
ence with  wonder  and  intense  interest.  Turning 
to  Jed,  he  said,  "  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  you've  been 
a  brave  soldier  and  a  good  boy.  Be  careful  of  your 
habits,  and  do  not  fall  into  evil  ways.  When  you 
left  home  I  lioped  that  you  might  become  a  true 
follower  of  Christ." 

Jed  gave  briefly,  in  simple  words,  his  religious 
experience. 

Before  we  left.  Uncle  Joliii  stood  and  prayed,  in 
his  stately,  solemn  language,  for  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  soldiers,  and  for  his  afflicted  country, 
and  that  God  might  guide  and  bless  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, whom  he  had  raised  up  as  an  instrument  for 
its  salvation. 

How  deep  the  words  of  a  good  man's  prayer  sink 
into  the  heart !  .  .  . 

On  inquiring  of  my  aunt,  I  learned  that  her  two 
calls  at  Squire  Weston's  office  had  been  made  iu 


ON  FURLOUGH  AT  HOME.  219 

the  evening,  becanse  that  time  suited  her  conven- 
ience, and  gave  the  squire  leisure  to  talk  over 
business. 

The  next  day  Jed  and  I  called  on  Lawyer  Wes- 
ton. As  I  entered  the  door  the  lawyer  looked  up 
from  his  desk,  recognized  us,  and  without  the 
slightest  embarrassment  advanced  with  extended 
hand,  saymg,  "  Glad  to  welcome  home  our  brave 
defenders,  Mr.  Nickerson.     Ah  I ''  — 

Here  the  squire  frowned,  for,  gravely  looking  in 
his  face,  I  withheld  my  hand,  saying,  "  What 
have  you  done  with  my  aunt's  money,  Mr. 
Weston?" 

The  squire  met  my  gaze  unflinchingly,  and  with 
his  steel-gray  eyes  fixed  on  mine,  replied,  '^  I  held 
a  mortgage  on  your  aunt's  house  for  money  ad- 
vanced by  other  parties.  I  foreclosed  the  mortgage, 
as  the  interest  on  the  loan  had  more  than  eaten  up 
the  worth  of  the  house.  I  have  had  no  other  money 
transactions  with  your  aunt,  though  she  claims  she 
put  money  in  my  hands  for  investment  at  two  dif- 
ferent times.  I  never  received  the  money.  Your 
aunt  is  flighty:  something  wrong  here,"  and  the 
squire  tapped  his  forehead  significantly. 

All  this  time  Squire  Weston  met  my  eye  like  an 
honest,  fearless  man,  and  this  was  more  convincing 
to  me  of  his  integrity  than  mere  words. 

Was  my  aunt  really  laboring  under  some  mistake 
or  hallucination?  Pondering  on  these  things,  I 
visited   Lawyer   Robinson   of  the   village,   whose 


220  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

sharp,  fox-like  visage  mirrored  his  acuteness  and 
sagacity. 

After  stating  the  case  and  answering  all  his  ques- 
tions, he  dismissed  me  abruptly,  saying,  "Your 
aunt  has  no  case,  because  she  has  no  evidence  that 
a  court  will  consider.  If  Weston  has  acted  the 
scamp,  he  has  not  left  the  bars  down :  he  has  put 
them  all  up  behind  him.  I  have  always  thought 
him  an  honest  man  ;  so  does  the  community  in 
which  he  has  lived  for  a  lifetime.  You've  no  case 
against  such  a  man  with  the  evidence  you  now 
have." 

I  could  not  but  admit  that  the  lawyer  was  right. 
Squire  Weston's  well-known  reputation  for  integ- 
rity, and  his  manner  of  meeting  m}^  inquiries,  made 
me  hesitate  to  believe  him  guilty.  Yet  my  aunt 
had  undoubtedly  told  the  truth,  "  according  to  her 
light,"  as  Silas  Eaton  expressed  it. 

During  my  stay  at  home  I  made  no  progress  in 
clearing  up  the  mystery.  The  squire's  quiet  denial 
was,  as  Jed  termed  it,  a  "knock-down,"  —  "And 
you'll  have  to  get  evidence  for  crutches  before  you 
go  into  court." 

Though  I  had  formerly  believed  in  the  squire's 
guilt,  I  now  began  to  surmise  that  under  the  whole 
affair  there  was  some  mystery. 

Our  thirty  days'  furlough  passed  rapidly,  and  we 
must  leave  once  more  for  the  army.  The  minister 
of  the  village  church,  a  good  man,  who  exhibited 
great  interest  in  both  Jed  and  myself,  accompanied 


ON  FURLOUGH  A  T  HOME.  2^21 

US  to  the  station.  Uncle  John  was  also  present 
to  see  us  off,  as  was  also  Squire  Weston's  pretty 
daughter,  who  had  lately  looked  with  favoring  eyes 
upon  the  straight,  manly,  handsome  Jed. 

So  with  many  "  God  bless  you's,"  we  were  once 
more  on  our  way  to  the  front. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

IN  THE  BATTLE   OF   CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

"TN  a  few  clays  we  reached  our  regiment,  then 
-^  lying  at  Falmouth,  opposite  Fredericksburg. 
Many  changes  had  taken  place  during  our  absence. 
The  ranks  had  been  thinned  by  disease  and  battle. 
Our  comrades  had  participated  in  the  conflicts  of 
Malvern  Hill,  the  2d  Bull  Run,  South  Mountain, 
Antietam,  and  the  terrible  struggle  for  Mayre's 
Heights,  at  Fredericksburg. 

Captain  Gruff,  Avho  had  now  recovered  from  his 
wound,  had  been  advanced  to  the  position  of 
lieutenant  colonel  in  command  of  the  regiment. 

Our  old  division  commander.  General  Hooker, 
for  whom  I  had  been  an  orderly  at  the  time  of  my 
capture,  now  commanded  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

Colonel  Gruff,  as  he  was  now  called,  endeavored 
to  dissuade  Jed  from  joining  his  own  regiment, 
thinking  it  more  prudent  for  him  to  be  with  some 
other,  so  that  if  taken  prisoner  he  would  be  in  less 
danger  of  being  identified  by  his  captors.  Jed, 
however,  respectfully  declined  to  be  transferred  and 
said,  — 

''  I  ought  to  be  allowed  to  do  a  little  real  fighting 
with   my  own  regiment,  so  as  to  show  that  the 


BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.       223 

rumor  that  I  deserted  was  false.  Secretary  Stanton 
offered  me  a  commission  and  a  transfer,  but  I 
want  to  serve  with  my  own  townspeople." 

"  But,  Jed,  my  tear  poy,  if  the  rebs  get  you,  ve 
all  shall  lose  you.  Deys  not  very  careful  vat  dey 
do." 

"No,"  growled  "Long  John  Haskell,"  "I'm 
blanked  if  old  Stonewall  Jackson  didn't  fire  chunks 
of  railroad  iron  at  us  at  Bull  Run ;  they  are  awful 
careless." 

But  no  remonstrance  availed  with  Jed,  who, 
like  many  amiable  people,  was  very  obstinate. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival,  Jed  was  promoted  to 
be  a  sergeant ;  my  promotion  to  that  rank  had 
previously  taken  place.  Jed's  long  absence  from 
our  ranks  was  now  partly  understood  by  the  regi- 
ment, yet  there  were  envious  members  who  hinted 
that  Jed  was  disloyal.  Among  these  was  Lieu- 
tenant Weston.  This  was  very  hard  for  Jed  to 
bear,  yet  he  made  no  denial  by  word  or  look,  but 
simply  said,  "  My  life  as  a  soldier  will  disprove 
these  falsehoods." 

An  incident  here  occurred  which  illustrates  the 
generous  character  of  the  Union  soldier.  Near  the 
outposts  there  lived  a  crippled  Confederate  and 
his  wife,  to  whom  Jed  often  carried  food  and 
clothing.  Osgood,  Avho  was  now  a  corporal,  and 
who  thought  he  should  have  been  promoted  instead 
of  Jed,  insinuated  that  this  was  a  method  adopted 
by  Jed  to  communicate  with  the    enemy.     One 


224  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

day,  however,  Osgood  stopped  me  as  I  was  passing 
him,  and  said, — 

''  I  want  to  make  an  ficknowledgment,  as  every 
one  should  who  has  wronged  a  good  man.  I  was 
prejudiced  against  Jed,  but  I  was  wrong  in  sus- 
pecting him." 

"What  has  happened  to  change  your  opinion?" 
I  inquired  curiously. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "Sutherland  and  I  saw  Jed 
going  into  that  rebel's  slianty,  and  we  thought  we 
would  listen  so  as  to  get  a  twist  on  him." 

"What  did  you  hear?"  I  inquired,  for  I  knew 
he  could  not  have  heard  anything  to  Jed's  dis- 
credit. 

"  I  heard  Jed  say  to  that  rebel,  '  Here,  Johnnie, 
here's  all  the  money  I've  got;  in  a  few  days 
the  spring  campaign  will  probably  open,  and 
you'll  have  hard  work  to  support  yourself  and 
family.'  " 

"  What  did  the  Confederate  sa}^  ?  "  I  inquired, 
still  curious,  as  Jed  had  told  me  nothing  of  this, 
although  he  had  borrowed  all  my  money. 

"  Why,  that  reb  was  all  broke  up ;  I  could  look 
through  a  chink  of  the  logs  and  see  the  tears  run- 
ning down  his  face  while  he  grasped  Sergeant 
Jed's  hand,  and  said,  '  I'll  be  doggoned  if  I  didn't 
believe  Yanks  had  horns  before  you  all  come 
down  here  to  fight;  but  now  I've  got  no  other 
friends.'  —  'Don't  say  you  have  no  other  friends,' 
said  Jed,  *  Jesus  is  the  friend  of  all  who  are  heavy 


hATTLE   OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE,       2^5 

laden  with  sorrow ; '  and  then,  as  I'm  a  sinner,  if 
he  didn't  get  down  on  his  knees  and  pray  for  that 
reb  and  his  family,  until  both  the  man  and  his 
wife  cried  like  children,  and  I  was  all  choked  up 
too.  I  made  up  my  mind  I'd  confess  how  mean 
rd  been,  and  I'm  doing  it  as  fast  as  I  can." 

Osgood  told  this  incident  everywhere,  which, 
together  with  Jed's  constant  goodness,  made  him 
many  friends.  It  also  made  friends  for  the  crip- 
pled Confederate.  So  contagious  is  an  act  of 
kindness  to  an  enemy,  that  every  new  picket 
shared  their  rations  with  him,  split  and  carried 
wood  to  his  hut,  and  heaped  coals  of  fire  on  his 
hearth,  if  not  on  his  head. 

Constant  parades,  drills,  and  inspections  on  the 
plains  of  Falmouth  soon  heralded  the  a^^proach  of 
another  campaign.  The  army  under  Hooker  then 
numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men, 
and  justified  the  boast  of  its  commander  that  it 
was  "  the  finest  army  on  the  planet." 

April  27th  we  broke  camp,  and  supplied  with  salt 
pork,  hard-tack,  sugar,  and  coffee  for  eight  days' 
rations,  began  our  march  to  turn  the  flank  of  the 
enemy. 

Hooker  had  wisely  determined  not  to  repeat  the 
fault  of  Burnside,  in  attacking  the  heights  on  his 
front.  He  left  Sedgwick  to  occupy  the  enemy's 
attention,  and  to  mask  his  movement  on  their 
flank.  Making  wide  detours  behind  the  hills,  that 
the  marching  columns  might  not  be  perceived  by 


226  JED'S  ADVENTURE^.' 

the  foe,  we  reached  the  upper  fords  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock. 

A  small  brigade  of  cavalry  preceded  us  across 
the  river,  to  clear  our  front.  The  rear  of  this  col- 
umn was  just  crossing  as  we  reached  the  river.  As 
we  threw  ourselves  on  the  ground  to  rest,  a  tall 
cavalryman  on  a  small  horse  hesitated  on  the  bank, 
and  soliloquized,  — 

"  Well,  old  Joe  Hooker  remembered  most 
everything,  but  he  forgot  to  give  us  swimming 
lessons." 

I  at  once  recognized  Sonny,  the  cavalryman,  and, 
thinking  to  tease  him,  shouted,  "Are  you  after 
more  pigeon  shot  and  sweet  potatoes.  Sonny  ?  " 

Sonny  turned  and  recognized  me,  and,  after 
shaking  hands,  rode  into  the  rushing  current,  say- 
ing, "  I'll  meet  you  on  the  field  of  glory,  Nicker- 
son."  He  little  thought  in  what  a  grotesque  man- 
ner I  should  meet  him  before  the  campaign  was 
over. 

It  was,  as  Sonny  remarked,  no  fool  of  a  job  to 
cross  this  rapid  river.  Our  men  were,  however, 
equal  to  the  task.  They  stripped,  and,  placing 
their  clothes  and  rations  on  their  shoulders,  with 
their  cartridge-boxes  on  their  heads  to  keep  their 
ammunition  dry,  made  the  crossing  with  such 
laughter  and  jokes  as  often  season  the  rough  work 
of  a  soldier's  life. 

When  darkness  came  on  huge  bonfires  were 
kindled  on  the  oi:)posite   banks,  and   all   through 


BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.       227 

the  night  soldiers  and  pack-mules  could  be  heard 
splashing  in  the  chill  waters  of  the  Rappahannock. 

At  this  point  I  met  some  prisoners  who  had  been 
captured  by  our  cavalry.    One  of  them  asked  me,  — 

*'  What  are  you'ns  goin'  to  do  with  all  of  your 
grub  fixins  ?  " 

"  Going  to  Richmond,"  I  replied. 

"  I  reckon  you'll  need  rations  for  a  hundred  years 
before  yer  git  there,"  replied  the  confident  reb. 
"  We  like  to  have  you  Yanks  have  a  lot  o'  good 
things,  for  when  we  git  one  of  yous,  we  git  watches, 
and  boots,  and  a  heap  of  fixins.  Now,  when  you 
git  a  reb,  yer  don't  git  much  o'  anythin'  else. 
Uncle  Robert  will  gobble  the  hull  of  ye,  and  make 
yer  march  with  them  fixins  to  Richmond,  I  reckon." 

Thus  confident  were  the  Confederate  soldiers  in 
their  great  commander. 

An  army  of  fifty  thousand  men  was  soon  at 
Chancellors ville.  Our  army,  heavy  laden  with 
rations  and  ammunition,  had  crossed  two  rivers 
and  had  marched  forty  miles  in  two  days.  We  had 
turned  the  flank  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  it 
was  no  idle  boast  of  General"  Hooker,  that  he  held 
Richmond  in  one  hand  and  Lee's  army  in  the  other, 
for  the  situation  at  that  time  justified  the  assertion. 

Chancellorsville  was  not  a  town,  but  a  solitary 
country  house,  surrounded  by  clustering  negro 
quarters,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  large  clearing, 
with  dense  thickets  on  every  side,  practically  im- 
penetrable for  the  manoeuvres  of  an  army. 


228  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

It  was  not  the  original  plan  of  our  general  to 
give  battle  here,  but  it  was  a  convenient  point  from 
which  to  concentrate  his  troops  four  miles  farther 
southeast  at  the  United  States  Ford.  This  last 
position,  if  attained,  would  take  the  rebel  lines  in 
reverse,  and  if  they  retreated  expose  their  flank  and 
rear,  while  if  they  came  out  to  attack  us  they  would 
be  obliged  to  accept  battle  in  the  open  field. 

Our  left  column  moved  out  on  the  river  road 
from  Chancellors ville  without  encountering  opposi- 
tion until  it  came  in  sight  of  Banks's  Ford.  The 
divisions  of  Sykes  and  Hancock  advanced  on  the 
turnpike,  and  had  reached  the  first  of  a  series  of 
hills,  where  the  advancing  enemy  was  driven  back. 

The  position  on  these  ridges  practically  uncov- 
ered Banks's  Foid,  and  shortened  our  communica- 
tion with  the  force  under  Sedgwick  (at  Fredericks- 
burg) by  twelve  miles. 

It  was  expected  that  this  advantageous  position 
would  be  held  at  all  hazards,  when  an  order  was 
received  from  General  Hooker  to  fall  back  to  Chan- 
cellorsville.  Here,  in  this  confined  sjDot  at  the 
Chancellorsville  clearing,  we  awaited  the  attack  of 
the  enemy. 

Our  lines  were  now  about  five  miles  in  extent, 
reaching  from  a  shoi-t  distance  east  of  Chancellors- 
ville, to  the  westward  in  front  of  the  Orange  plank 
road. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  auspicious  opening  of  the 
campaign  was  followed  by  a  series  of  blunders,  by 


BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLOliSVlLLE.       ^20 

which  all  that  this  first  brilliant  movement  promised 
was  lost. 

The  position  of  Lee,  meanwhile,  was  difficult, 
but  he  proved  equal  to  the  situation.  Although 
his  army  was  weakened  by  the  absence  of  Long- 
street's  corps ;  yet,  in  the  face  of  our  superior  force 
he  divided  his  army,  and  sent  Jackson  around  to 
attack  our  right  flank,  now  resting  on  the  Orange 
plank  road. 

Jackson  reached  the  old  turnpike,  which  runs 
parallel  witli,  and  north  of,  the  plank  road,  from 
which  point  he  could  see  our  i-ight  (under  com- 
mand of  Howard)  in  reverse.  He  now  liad  only 
to  advance  to  obtain  a  victory ;  for  a  force  attacked 
in  flank  cannot  fight,  but  are  driven  into  huddles, 
where  the  men  can  only  fire  into  each  other. 

The  men  of  the  11th  Corps  were  cooking  their 
supper,  when  the  blow  fell  upon  them  like  light- 
ning from  a  cloudless  sky. 

Our  right  wing  was  crushed  and  driven  towards 
Chancellorsville,  and  disaster  threatened  the  whole 
arm3\  During  the  night,  however,  the  tide  of  dis- 
aster was  checked,  and  the  bravest  of  the  Confed- 
erate leaders,  Stonewall  Jackson,  was  killed. 

So  much  must  be  said  in  explanation  of  Avhat 
follows  in  our  narrative. 

Colonel  Gruff  had  been  much  disgusted  with  the 
order  to  fall  back,  and  growled  out  his  displeasure. 

We  bivouacked  that  night  near  the  Chancellor 
house. 


^80  JEJrS  ADVENTURES. 

Saturday  morning,  May  2d,  dawned  with  a  cloud- 
less sky ;  but  on  our  right  and  left  the  incessant 
"  Cracky  crack..,  crack^^  of  the  skirmishers,  and  the 
inng  of  bullets,  sounded  tlirougli  the  woods. 

We  left  our  knapsacks  piled  up  in  the  woods,  and 
advanced  to  support  a  battery  planted  across  the 
plank  road,  running  from  Fredericksburg  to  Orange 
Court-House. 

Oar  colonel  sat  upon  his  horse,  grim  and  silent 
except  for  an  occasional  brief  order.  The  first  line 
rested  upon  the  breastworks,  and  the  soldiers  were 
boiling  their  coffee  in  their  tin  cups  for  their  break- 
fast, under  fire,  unconcerned  as  only  veterans  can 
be  in  such  circumstances. 

At  half-past  seven,  with  a  terrible  yell,  the  rebels 
charged,  and  drove  back  our  skirmishers.  When 
our  regiment  was  deployed  as  skirmishers,  the 
enemy  held  out  hats  and  blankets  from  behind 
trees,  to  draw  our  fire. 

An  ominous  lull  succeeded,  which  led  Colonel 
Gruff  to  growl,  — 

"I  vonders  vat  mischief  dey  is  up  to  now?" 

We  did  not  remain  long  in  doubt,  for  we  soon 
distinctly  lieard  the  rebel  order, — 

"  Forward  I  double-quick  !  guide,  left !  "  followed 
by  a  yell  and  the  tramp  of  advancing  men,  accom- 
panied by  a  storm  of  shot. 

While  we  were  battling  with  this  force,  an  omi- 
nous cry  went  down  our  lines,  "  We  are  out  of 
ammunition !  " 


MTTLE  OF  CMANCELLORSVILLE.       ^3l 

"  Sergeant  Nickerson,  with  some  men,  vill  gather 
cartridges  from  the  dead  and  vounded,"  came  the 
order  from  Colonel  Gruff. 

But  it  was  all  in  vain ;  we  were  repulsed,  and 
fell  back  behind  tlie  breastworks'  in  our  rear. 
Here  again  the  cry  went  down  the  line,  "  Out  of 
ammunition  !  " 

To  add  to  our  dismay,  the  fallen  trees  which 
formed  an  abatis  in  our  front  were  set  on  fire  by 
the  enemy's  shot.  The  suffocating  smoke  began 
to  choke  and  blind  us.  In  this  emergency, 
while  the  enemy's  bullets  drummed  a  discordant 
tattoo  against  our  breastworks,  Jed  sprung  over 
the  log  parapet,  and  prevented  the  serious  dis- 
aster which  threatened  us  by  extinguishing  the 
flames. 

Many  who  had  not  expected  to  see  him  return 
alive,  silently  grasped  his  hand  as  he  came  back 
unharmed. 

Colonel  Gruff  simply  said,  "Veil  done,  ser- 
geant ! " 

Thus  the  fight  went  on  through  the  day. 

It  was  near  sundown  when  on  our  right  there 
broke  out  a  furious  sound  of  battle.  Nearer  and 
nearer  and  more  clamorous  came  the  uproar.  It 
was  the  attack  of  Jackson  which  had  crushed  and 
driven  back  our  right  flank  in  confusion.  That 
night,  as  well  as  the  next  morning,  the  figlit  was 
continuous.  The  ceaseless  patter  of  bullets  did 
its  deadly  work.     We  had  changed  our  position 


232  JED'S  ADVENTUnns. 

several  times,  losing  many  men,  and  now  the  for- 
ests around  us  were  on  fire. 

"  Where  is  Lieutenant  Weston  ?  "  came  the  cry. 

"  He's  left  behind,  wounded,  on  our  right,"  said 
some  one  in  the  ranks. 

Jed  went  to  Colonel  Gruff ;  I  saw  him  nod  in 
assent  to  some  proposition  made  by  Jed,  then 
beckoned  to  me.  Together  we  went  back  to  rescue 
the  wounded  from  the  flames.  The  fire  was 
crackling  among  the  underbrush  and  resinous 
pines,  as  through  the  blinding  smoke  we  groped 
our  way.  Heavy  masses  of  black  smoke  were  illu- 
minated here  and  there  by  the  flames.  We  were 
partly  in  this  forest  fire,  when  Jed  clutched  my 
arm,  saying  hurriedly,  "  Look  I  " 

A  great  tongue  of  flame  pierced  the  smoke,  and 
with  a  roar  like  an  advancing  wave  came  sweeping 
down  upon  us.  We  turned  and  ran  ;  when  Jed 
called  out,  "  Right  liere  to  the  left !  "*  and  sprang 
into  the  smoke  where  the  flames  seemed  to  be 
stayed.     ''  Here  are  some  of  our  men." 

A  small,  almost  stagnant,  brook,  which  at  one 
time  during  the  fight  had  divided  our  company  into 
platoons,  held  back  the  flames,  which,  -when  en- 
countering this  brook,  hissed  like  an  angry  serpent, 
and  darted  fiery  fangs  to  the  dry  stubble  on  the 
other  side,  where  some  of  our  wounded  lay,  who 
were  trying  to  drag  themselves  from  the  reach  of 
the  fire.  We  reached  these  wounded  men  and 
began  moving  them  to  a  little  clearing  near  at  hand, 


BATTLE   OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.       233 

where  they  would  be  comparatively  safe.  We 
were  thus  engaged  when  some  one  exclaimed,  — 

''  Hello,  old  hoss,  what  yer  doin'  thar  ?  " 

It  was  a  rebel  cavaliyman  engaged  in  apparently 
the  same  mission  as  ourselves. 

"  Lend  us  your  blanket,  and  help  us,"  said  Jed 
confidently. 

The  Confederate  soldier  hesitated  a  moment, 
and  then,  as  if  unable  to  resist  this  appeal  to  his 
better  nature,  unslung  the  blanket  which  hung  on 
his  shoulders,  and  we  fastened  it  to  our  muskets 
for  a  stretcher.  While  the  rebel  and  myself  carried 
the  wounded  to  the  clearing,  Jed  beat  back  the 
fii'e  and  continued  liis  search  for  Weston. 

We  soon  heard  a  shout  from  Jed,   "  I've  found 

him : " 

We  reached  the  spot,  and  found  Weston,  and 
near  him  a  wounded  Confederate  ;  we  took  the 
rebel  soldier  in  our  blanket,  while  Jed  lifted  Lieu- 
tenant Weston  in  his  arms  and  followed  us.  We 
hurried,  for  the  flames  had'now  crossed  the  little 
brook.  We  were  scorched  and  burned,  but  when  on 
reaching  the  clearing  and  looking  back  for  Jed  he 
could  not  be  seen.  A  whirlwind  of  fire  was  sweep- 
ing over  the  field  which  we  had  just  crossed. 
We  turned  back,  but  everywhere  encountered  the 
roaring,  crackling  flames ;  while  clouds  of  smoke, 
driven  by  the  rising  wind,  blinded  us.  We  had 
already  advanced  too  far.  We  had  turned  when 
we  heard  a  feeble  cry  for  help.    It  was  Jed's  voice. 


234  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  Here ! "  said  the  Confederate,  dropping  the 
muskets,  and  trampling  and  beating  down  the  fire 
with  his  blanket,  "  Here  he  is  I  " 

I  imitated  his  example  until  we  reached  Jed 
in  a  little  cleared  spot,  not  twenty  feet  broad, 
nearly  surrounded  by  the  fire  which  roared  and 
crackled  around  him.  In  the  centre  of  the  clear- 
ing he  had  placed  the  wounded  lieutenant,  and 
was  trying  to  beat  back  the  fire.  The  flames  mean- 
while had  closed  around  us,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
it  seemed  impossible  for  any  of  us  to  escape.  We 
threw  ourselves  on  the  ground  with  our  faces 
downward,  and  waited  until  at  last  the  flames  sub- 
sided and  opened  up  a  path  of  safety  to  the  larger 
clearing  beyond. 

"  That  was  a  doggoned  close  call,  stranger,"  said 
the  Confederate,  as  he  got  to  his  feet. 

As  we  emerged  Avith  our  burden  into  the  cleared 
field,  we  could  hear  the  shrieks  and  cries  of  those 
whom  the  fire  had  reached.  We  were  all  in  a 
pitiful  plight.  Jed  fell  fainting  on  the  ground, 
and  I  thouQfht  him  dead.  The  Confederate  un- 
slung  liis  canteen,  and  saying,  "  This  is  what  he 
needs,"  poured  water  down  Jed's  throat.  My 
eyebrows  and  hair  were  singed,  and  my  face  and 
hands  blistered. 

After  a  while  Jed  revived,  and  feebly  inquired, 
"  Is  he  safe  ?  "  I  nodded  an  assent.  The  lieutenant 
was  less  burned  than  any  of  us. 

The  Confederate  called  our  attention  to  infantry 


BATTLE   OF  CHANCELLORS VILLE.        235 

firing,  now  ringing  in  the  woods  at  our  left,  and 
exclaimed,  — 

"  For  God's  sake  get  out  of  this,  or  you  will  be 
taken  prisoners !  " 

To  give  his  admonition  greater  emphasis,  he  di- 
rected us  by  what  lie  thought  was  the  way  to  our 
lines,  and  then  grasping  us  in  a  final  hand-shake, 
as  the  bursting  shell  began  to  fall,  said,  "  Good-by, 
Yanks  !     Good  luck  I "' 

As  we  crossed  a  part  of  the  plateau  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Ave  saAv  the  house  on  fire,  and  found  the 
rear  of  our  army  just  retiring.  Here  comrades 
helped  us  remove  Weston  to  an  ambulance. 

As  we  left  him,  Weston  said  to  Jed,  ''  Hoskins, 
you  are  a  brave  man ;  I  owe  you  my  life.  Come 
to  me  to-morrow,  and  I  will  tell  you  something  that 
you  ought  to  know;  I  am  afraid  I  shall  never  get 
over  this  wound  in  my  side." 

Understanding  that  our  regiment  had  moved 
into  a  new  position,  towards  the  river,  we  now 
tried  to  unite  our  fortunes  with  them  once  more. 

On  our  way  we  encountered  some  artillery  men 
dragging  off  a  battery  by  hand,  as  all  the  horses 
had  been  killed,  and  one  of  the  wdieels  of  a  gun 
had  also  been  shattered.  This  group  began  to 
joke  us  on  our  blistered,  singed  appearance,  when 
our  attention  was  arrested  by  a  hoarse  cry  behind 
us.  We  turned  and  saw  a  tall  man,  dressed  in 
nothing  but  a  shirt,  running  towards  us  like  mad. 

*'  Gosh  all  Whittaker  I  but  they  stole  my  clothes 


236  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  most  got  me  !  "  he  yelled.  The  voice  had  a 
familiar  ring,  but  the  singed  eyebrows  and  blistered 
face  and  nose  of  the  fugitive  made  him  look  more 
like  a  painted  clown  in  a  circus  than  a  soldier.  It 
was  "Sonny."  Soldiers  who  are  always  ready  to 
laugh  at  anything  odd  or  grotesque,  began  to  jeer 
and  laugh  at  him  until  they  noticed  that  his  shirt 
was  saturated  with  blood. 

"Why,"  explained  Sonny,  "I  got  to  bush-whack- 
ing around  out  there,  when  the  first  thing  I  knew 
I  was  senseless.  Some  of  them  rebs  shot  me, 
stole  my  hoss,  and  then,  Avhen  I  had  fainted  or 
somethin',  actually  stripped  my  clothes  off  my 
back !  The  woods  were  all  afire,  Avhen  I  come  tu, 
and  I  had  to  step  light,  I  tell  you !  " 

When  Sonny  recognized  us  he  said,  "  I  was  never 
made  for  a  cavalryman,  anyhow  —  plague  take  a 
hoss !  My  time  Avill  be  out  soon,  and  then  I'll 
never  look  at  a  hoss  agin.  I've  got  a  thunderin' 
great  hole  in  my  ham,  and  too  much  smoke  for  my 
bacon,  tu,  I  guess." 

With  varying  fortune,  humiliated  by  needless 
defeat,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  our  army  fell 
back  to  its  old  position  at  Falmouth. 

We  visited  Weston  at  the  field  hospital  soon 
after  our  arrival,  as  requested. 

We  found  liim  lying  on  a  hospital  cot,  very  pale 
and  feeble,  for  the  surgeons  had  just  extracted  a 
bullet  from  his  leg.  They  had,  however,  decided 
that  a  hip  amputation  was  laot  advisable. 


BATTLE   OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE.       237 

On  our  entering,  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  said 
to  me,  "  It  was  I  who  took  your  aunt's  money,  which 
she  thought  she  placed  in  the  hands  of  my  father." 

"  But,"  said  I,  in  surprise,  "  my  aunt  distinctly 
remembered  giving  it  to  your  father." 

"It  was  not  my  father,"  said  the  lieutenant. 
"  I  confess  it  with  shame.  I  did  not  plan  to  take 
the  money  at  first.  I  Avas  at  home  on  recruiting 
duty,  and  Ave  were  to  have  a  theatrical  entertain- 
ment, in  Avhich  I  was  to  take  the  part  of  an  old 
man.  I  had  just  'made  up,'  as  the  theatre  people 
call  it,  with  my  father  as  a  model.  I  put  on  an 
old  wig  my  father  had  discarded,  and  a  suit  of  his 
clothes.  I  Avas  practising  the  part  when  your  aunt 
came  in.  The  temptation  to  try  my  make-up  on 
her  was  irresistible.  I  Avas  astonished  when  she 
handed  me  the  money,  and  asked  me  to  invest  it 
for  her,  and  said  she  would  bring  me  the  rest  the 
next  evening.  To  prevent  my  father's  knowing 
that  I  had  taken  the  fu-st,  I  had  to  be  present  in 
my  disguise  to  take  the  second  instalment  of  cash. 
At  first  I  thought  I  Avould  send  it  to  your  aunt  by 
express  or  mail.  Before  the  theatricals  came  off  I 
AA^as  on  my  way  to  the  army,  having  first  hid  the 
money,  Avhich  I  had  put  in  a  tin  box,  in  my  straw 
mattress  at  home." 

As  this  explained  a  mystery  involving  a  loss  to 
my  aunt,  and  calling  in  question  also  the  honesty  of 
Squire  Weston,  Ave  were  rejoiced  to  have  the  matter 
cleared  up. 


238  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Before  leaving  him,  Weston  said,  "  Hoskins,  I 
owe  my  life  to  you,  and  I  can  never  forget  it.  I 
believe  you  are  a  good  man ;  can't  you  pray  for 
me?" 

"I  can't  pray  much,"  said  Jed,  "but  the  Lord's 
Prayer  is  always  sweet  and  precious.  Let  us  re- 
peat it  together ;  perhaps  God  will  hear  it  and  bless 
us."  And  when  in  unison  they  repeated  "  deliver 
us  from  evil,"  there  were  tears  in  the  lieutenant's 
eyes. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MARCHING   OX   TO   BATTLE. 

A  FTER  the  campaign  of  Chancellorsville,  Lee 
-^-^  determined  to  assume  the  offensive.  The 
confidence  and  pride  of  the  South  had  been  stimu- 
lated by  his  successes,  until  the  pressure  of  public 
sentiment  compelled  him  to  an  invasion  of  the 
loyal  States. 

As  early  as  May,  our  conversations  Avith  rebel 
pickets  showed  us  that  some  aggressive  movement 
was  contemplated. 

One  day,  while  exchanging  coffee  for  tobacco  by 
means  of  a  board  fitted  up  Avith  a  sail  and  rudder, 
as  a  ferry  of  communication  Avith  the  rebel  pickets 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Rappahannock  River,  one 
of  them  sarcastically  inquired,  — 

''  When  are  you  'ns  coming  over  to  see  Ave  uns  ?  " 

"  It's  your  turn  next  to  come  and  see  us.  We 
are  tired  of  doing  all  the  visiting,"  replied  Osgood, 
who  Avas  tending  the  ferry. 

*'  Reckon  you  'ns  Avon't  have  to  Avait  long,  Yanks. 
Uncle  Robert  is  gittin'  right  ready  to  come  over 
and  git  some  fixin's,  and  to  lick  yer  out  o'  yer 
boots," 

239 


240  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

The  rebel  newspapers,  received  througli  tlie  same 
source,  showed  the  drift  of  Southern  sentiment  in 
that  direction. 

Such,  in  fact,  was  the  confident  desire  of  the 
South  at  this  time,  that  on  a  requisition  for  rations 
from  Lee's  army,  there  was  said  to  have  been  in- 
dorsed this  laconic  suggestion:  "If  General  Lee 
wants  rations  for  his  army,  let  him  seek  them  in 
Pennsylvania." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  it  became  evident 
to  General  Hooker  that  the  rebel  army  was  in  mo- 
tion. Their  cavahy,  behind  which  the  movements 
of  their  infantry  were  masked,  on  the  9th  of  May 
was  attacked  by  Pleasonton,  revealing  the  fact  that 
A.  P.  Hill's  and  Longstreet's  corps  of  the  rebel 
army  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Culpeper. 

Ewell  soon  appeared  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
and  from  there  crossed  into  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  an  army  the  under  generals  usually  know  but 
little  of  the  intentions  of  the  commander,  except  as 
it  is  matured  in  orders  received.  The  order  '^  Pack 
up,"  came  on  the  11th  of  June.  Our  brigade  was 
soon  in  motion  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock. 

We  began  a  series  of  long  marches  and  counter- 
marches, sometimes  making  thirty  miles  a  day  over 
rough  and  dusty  or  muddy  roads. 

Marching  thirty  miles  a  day  may  seem  a  small 
thing  to  mention ;  but  if  any  of  my  young  readers, 


MARCHING  ON  TO  BATTLE.  241 

emulous  of  military  glory,  will  equip  themselves 
witli  a  haversack  containing  three  days'  rations,  a 
knapsack  weighing  from  eighteen  to  twenty-five 
pounds,  a  canteen,  and  forty  rounds  of  cartridges, 
besides  a  Springfield  i-ifle  and  bayonet,  and  will 
march  even  one  mile  over  the  best  of  roads,  they 
will  get  a  better  idea  of  it. 

If  an  officer  does  not  understand  marching  men, 
as  happened  to  be  the  case  in  our  brigade,  he  will 
make  them  cover  long  distances  without  rest,  and 
such  marching  quickly  breaks  down  the  best  of  men. 

An  ignorant  general,  at  this  time,  frequently 
marched  our  column  over  difficult  roads  from  ten 
to  twelve  miles,  without  halting  them.  It  resulted 
in  frequent  sunstroke,  and  death  from  exhaustion. 
Thereafter  we  were  halted  a  few  minutes  every 
hour,  as  the  attention  of  an  officer  high  in  rank  had 
been  called  to  this  manner  of  marching. 

We  crossed  the  Potomac  on  a  pontoon  bridge, 
built  on  sixty-four  l)oats  or  pontoons,  marched  to 
Monocacy,  and  at  night  bivouacked  thirty  miles 
from  our  point  of  departure. 

The  transition  from  worn-out,  battle-scarred  Vir- 
ginia to  the  fertile  fields  of  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania, was,  in  effect,  like  passing  from  stormy 
to  sunlit  skies. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  we  learned  that  General 
Hooker  had  been  deposed  from  command,  and  Gen- 
eral Meade  put  in  his  place. 

The  novelty  of  being  saluted  by  the  smiles  of 


242  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

women  and  children,  instead  of  frowns,  and  of 
marching  through  beautiful  streets ;  seeing  the  stars 
and  stripes  floating  from  the  houses,  and  even 
churches ;  of  being  among  friends  instead  of  ene- 
mies, —  was  an  agreeable  contrast,  which  cannot  be 
expressed  in  words. 

The  usual  sentiment  of  soldiers  marching  for 
battle  is,  "  Let  us  fight  now,  since  we  must  fight, 
and  have  it  done  with."  In  addition  to  this  feel- 
ing, there  was  here  a  new  one.  It  was,  ''  If  we  do 
not  whip  our  enemies  now,  they  will  overrun  these 
fertile  fields  and  devastate  these  comfortable  homes 
with  their  hungry  hordes." 

Our  division  reached  Emmettsburg  July  1,  and 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  heard  the  first  faint 
and  almost  inaudible  rumble  of  cannonading  at 
Gettysburg,  where  the  1st  and  12th  Corps  had 
already  encountered  the  enemy  near  Willoughby 
Run. 

It  had  not  been  the  intention  of  Meade  to  fight 
a  battle  at  Gettysburg.  The  concentration  of  Bu- 
ford's  cavalry  there  was  a  mask  to  conceal  his  pro- 
posed concentration  of  troops  behind  Pipe  Creek, 
where  he  expected  to  fight  a  decisive  battle.  But 
'•'-  man  proposes,  and  God  disposes." 

The  movement  which  Hooker  had  projected,  was 
a  threat  on  the  rebel  commander's  communications. 
This  threat  caused  Lee  to  recall  his  advance  col- 
umns from  Harrisburg.  Gettysburg,  like  the  hub 
of  a  wheel,  with  roads  radiating  from  it  like  spokes, 


MARCHING  ON  TO  BATTLE.  248 

was  the  first  point  Lee  could  reach,  and  lay  hold  of 
direct  lines  for  retreat  or  communications  South. 

Neither  of  the  commanders  of  the  great  armies 
soon  to  meet  in  battle  knew  of  the  presence  of  the 
other.     It  was  a  gigantic  game  of  blind-man's  buff. 

So,  while  Lee  was  reaching  forward  to  grasp  a 
safe  line  of  retreat  or  advance,  and  Meade  was 
masking  the  contemplated  concentration,  blind  fate 
brought  them  together  on  the  field  of  Gettysburg. 

On  the  last  day  of  June,  General  Buford,  by 
questioning  prisoners,  got  information  that  led  him 
to  believe  that  the  enemy  was  concentrating  at 
Gettysburg.  The  temper  of  this  great  cavalry  offi- 
cer was  too  aggressive  to  leave  to  an  enemy  a  field 
that  he  was  able  to  liold  by  fighting.  He  ambushed 
his  men  on  Willoughby  Creek,  which  runs  north 
and  south  about  a  mile  west  of  Gettysburg. 

About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of 
July  the  Confederate  column,  preceded  by  a  line 
6f  skirmishers,  descended  the  western  slope  of  the 
stream,  and  a  desperate  encounter  at  once  took 
place. 

Buford,  outnumbered  by  the  enemy,  anxiously 
awaited  the  approach  of  the  1st  Corps.  The  signal 
officer,  from  the  belfry  of  the  Lutheran  seminary 
near  by,  soon  signalled  its  approach. 

Buford  hastened  to  the  belfry  to  confirm  the  glad 
tidings  with  his  own  eyes.  Coming  from  the  bel- 
fry, he  met  General  Reynolds,  who  commanded  the 
1st  Corps,  and  assured  him  that  his  men  could  hold 


244  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

on  until  the  infantry  arrived.  On  its  arrival,  Rey- 
nolds rode  forward  to  direct  the  attack. 

The  struggle  was  then  for  the  possession  of  a 
small  piece  of  woods,  which  projects  like  a  salient 
down  the  slope  east  of  Willoughhy  Run.  If  the 
Federals  could  only  hold  this  position,  it  divided  the 
line  of  the  rebel  advance.  If  possessed,  on  the  other 
hand,  by  the  rebels,  it  divided  the  Union  line,  and 
would  compel  its  retreat. 

General  Reynolds  was  directing  his  men,  when 
Cutler's  men  and  the  Iron  Brigade  arrived,  and 
went  into  action  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  Cham- 
bersburg  road.  While  the  men  were  advancing  to 
the  attack,  Reynolds  urged  them  to  hold  their 
ground  at  all  hazards,  to  which  they  proudly  re- 
plied, "  If  we  can't  hold  it,  where  will  you  find  the 
men  w^ho  can  ?  " 

As  the  Iron  Brigade  marched  on  to  the  field  they 
shouted,  "  We've  come,  and  come  to  stay  I  "  And 
most  of  them  did  stay,  leaving  their  dead  bodies  on 
the  field  which  they  so  bravely  defended. 

The  Confederate  Genera!  Archer  was  rushing  his 
men  into  the  triangular  piece  of  woods,  hitherto 
mentioned,  when  they  encountered  Cutler's  brigade, 
and  recognized  them  by  their  hats. 

"  It  ain't  no  militia,  it's  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac," was  the  surprised  exclamation  of  the  Con- 
federates. 

While  leading  the  attack  to  a  point  in  the  woods, 
General  Reynolds  was  shot,  and  fell  dead  in  this  hi^ 


MARCHING  ON  TO  BATTLE.  245 

first  encounter  Avitli  the  enemy  on  the  soil  of  his 
native  State.  By  liis  associates  he  was  regarded  as 
the  most  remarkable  man  in  the  arm}^  and  one 
destined  to  the  greatest  measure  of  fame. 

The  command  of  the  1st  Corps  now  devolved  on 
General  Doubleday,  who,  it  will  be  remembered, 
fired  the  first  shot  from  Sumter,  a  narrative  of 
which  I  have  given  elsewhere. 

It  was  a  task  for  a  giant.  His  forces,  outflanked, 
stubbornly  fell  back.  Howard  arrived,  and  from 
the  belfry  of  the  seminary  viewed  the  field.  He 
saw  the  four  weak  brigades  of  the  1st  Corps  strug- 
gling with  six  large  Confederate  brigades.  The 
11th  Corps  arrived  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  Howard 
took  command  of  the  field.  He  stretched  his  men 
out  around  the  town,  leaving  a  gap  between  the 
11th  and  1st  Corps. 

Oak  Hill  commanded  the  right  of  the  field.  At 
three  o'clock  the  Confederates  broke  througfli  the 
right  of  the  1st  Corps  and  the  left  of  the  11th, 
planted  artillery  on  Oak  Hill,  and  disrupted  the 
entire  Union  line. 

The  unfortunate  11th  Corps  fell  back  through  the 
town  in  disordered  flight,  impeding  the  retreat  of 
the  1st  Corps,  which  met  its  disorganized  crowds 
while  falling' back  in  good  order. 

The  brave  efforts  of  this  corps  has  but  few  paral- 
lels in  the  history  of  fighting.  Nearly  half  of  its 
numbers  were  left  dead  or  dying  on  the  battle-field. 

Eighteen  thousand  men  had  withstood  the  attack 


246  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

of  twenty-five  thousand,  in  the  heroic  attempt  to 
keep  back  the  invaders. 

At  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  the  defeated  frag- 
ments of  the  1st  and  11th  Corps  were  climbing 
Cemetery  Hill,  where  Steinwehr\s  two  brigades,  as 
a  reserve,  were  in  a  fortified  position. 

General  Hancock,  at  this  critical  moment,  arrived, 
and  witli  his  clear  head  and  magnetic  presence  put 
a  new  soul,  as  it  were,  into  the  fragments  of  the 
army  on  Cemetery  Hill. 

Such  was  the  scene  being  enacted  at  Gettysburg 
while  the  blue  columns  of  our  army  corps  were 
swinging  over  the  dusty  roads  from  Emmettsburg 
to  the  field  of  battle. 

At  first  we  heard  only  the  rumble  of  artillery,  like 
distant  thunder ;  but  as  we  hurried  on,  the  sound 
of  cannonading  grew  more  and  more  distinct,  and 
the  men  needed  no  urging  to  hasten  their  march. 

As  we  reached  the  boundaries  of  Pennsylvania 
the  regiments  of  our  corps  belonging  to  that  State 
gave  enthusiastic  cheers. 

Colonel  Gruff  was  seen  to  shake  his  head,  and 
was  heard  to  say,  "  Ter  teffel  vill  be  to  pay  soon." 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  met  an  occasional  group 
of  stragglers.  Some  also  passed  us  who  had  se- 
cured teams,  and  were  hurrying  forward  as  if  fear- 
ing to  be  late  for  the  fight ;  others  showed  evident 
dislike  to  marcliing  towards  the  sound  of  the  guns. 
We  also  met  several  squads  of  prisoners  being 
marched  to  the  rear ;    and  the  usual  salutations, 


MARCHING  ON  TO  BATTLE.  247 

"  How  are  you,  Yanks  ?  "  —  "  How  are  you,  John- 
nies?" were  exchanged. 

A  citizen  whom  we  met  said,  "If  you  go  any 
farther  you  will  have  a  fight  in  the  night ; "  while 
a  negro  declared  that  "  de  roads  ahead  is  full  of 
rebs." 

Colonel  Gruff  sent  these  persons  to  the  general, 
but  no  orders  to  retrace  our  steps  were  given  until 
we  picked  up  several  of  the  rebel  pickets,  who  were 
out  looking  for  water ;  then  a  countermarch  was 
ordered. 

The  sound  of  battle  had,  meanwhile,  died  away 
with  the  declining  sun.  We  forded  Willoughby 
Run,  south  of  the  town,  at  nearly  eleven  o'clock 
that  moonlit  night,  and  at  half-past  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  the  2d  of  July  stacked  our  arms, 
and  threw  ourselves  upon  the  ground  to  sleep  the 
sleep  of  tired  men.  We  did  not  even  heed  the 
picket  shots  on  our  front ;  and  a  volley  from  the 
enemy  in  the  early  morning  hours,  who  were  ad- 
vancing by  the  same  road  over  which  we  had  so 
recently  marched,  failed  to  awaken  me.  I  was 
rudely  shaken  by  the  shoulder  before  I  realized 
that  I  was  on  a  battle-field,  so  sound  is  the  sleep 
of  tired  youth. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

ON   THE  BATTLE-FIELD   OF   GETTYSBUEG. 

T^AURING  the  early  morning  hours  the  sky  was 
-^-^  cloudy,  and  a  veil-like  vapor  overhung  the 
valley  of  Gettysburg.  Before  noon,  however,  the 
sun  dispelled  the  mists,  and  lit  up  the  smiling  sum- 
mer fields. 

Our  line  of  battle  was  advanced  to  the  Emmetts- 
burg  road,  which  ran  obliquely  across  the  plain, 
and  passed  near  the  foot  of  Cemetery  Ridge,  into 
the  village  on  our  right. 

The  line  of  hills  on  which  a  portion  of  the  Union 
lines  now  rested,  and  which  formed  its  defence  on 
the  3d  of  July,  resembled  in  form  the  letter  f. 
The  dot  at  the  top  of  the  f  stands  for  Cul^^'s  Hill ; 
the  semicircular  portion,  the  cemetery  ;  from  thence 
down  to  the  cross.  Cemetery  Ridge  ;  the  bottom 
of  the  f,  Roundtop ;  the  cross  of  the  f  represents 
Ziegler's  grove.  Opposite,  and  a  mile  away,  was 
Seminary  Ridge,  whereon  the  Confederate  army 
was  posted,  its  entire  line  resembling  in  form  a 
letter  C,  with  its  two  wings  almost  encircling  ours, 
and  over  five  miles  in  extent. 

"  What  a  magnificent  sight,"  said  Jed,  pointing 
to  the  long  compact  blue  line  of  men  advancing 

248 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF  GETTYSBURG.       249 

over  the  plain  to  the  Emmettsburg  road.  With  an 
oscillating  motion  peculiar  to  keeping  step,  our 
corps  moved  forward,  its  burnished  Springfield 
rifles  flashing  in  the  sun  like  the  foam  fringe  of  a 
blue  wave.  On  our  right,  the  cemetery  presented 
the  curious  contrasts  of  polished  brass  field-pieces, 
and  infantry  supports  in  line  of  battle,  among  the 
wliite  marble  monuments. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  our 
corps  had  moved  forward  to  the  Emmettsburg  road. 
We  were  moving  into  position,  when  Jed  said  to 
me, — 

"Colonel  Gruff  looks  anxious  and  troubled  to- 
day." 

"  I  heard  him  say  last  night,"  said  Haskell,  our 
orderly  sergeant,  "  that  he  had  a  feeling  that  he 
should  not  come  out  of  the  battle  alive ;  the  old 
fellow  is  nervous,  I  guess." 

Jed  responded  sharply,  "  Colonel  Gruff  is  no 
coward,  and  if  he  knew  that  he  Avas  to  be  shot  in 
another  hour,  it  would  not  change  his  manner." 

"  He  makes  no  display  of  his  good  qualities," 
said  another,  "  but  there  is  no  one  in  the  army  who 
acts  more  from  conviction  of  duty.  All  soldiers 
become  fatalists,  and  Colonel  Gruff  is  no  exception 
to  the  rule  ;  he  may  have  a  premonition  of  evil,  but 
he  knows  that  he  cannot  change  fate." 

At  this  instant  the  column  had  reached  the  Em- 
mettsburg road,  and  the  order  was  given,  "  Column 
halt  I     In  place,  rest ! "     The   men  threw  them- 


250  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

selves  on  the  ground  in  careless  attitudes,  but 
ready  for  instant  action. 

The  scene  around  us  \Yas  very  peaceful;  •  a 
treacherous  contrast  to  the  storm  of  battle  about 
to  burst  over  these  sunlit  fields. 

In  front  of  our  company,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road,  were  a  farmhouse  and  its  buildings.  A 
herd  of  cows  was  grazing  near,  tame  pigeons  cooed, 
and  bees  hummed  in  the  hives  close  at  hand. 

Jed  and  I  left  the  ranks,  to  fill  our  canteens  at 
the  Avell.  A  cat  was  asleep  on  the  veranda,  and 
the  mistress  Avas  bustling  around  the  house  with  a 
face  as  serene  as  the  morning  itself.  She  explained 
to  us  that  it  was  baking  day.  When  we  asked  her 
if  she  would  sell  us  some  bread,  she  gave  us  each 
a  loaf,  with  honey  and  butter  enough  to  make  it 
very  palatable. 

Colonel  Gruff,  whom  we  had  seen  smoking  in  the 
shade  on  the  veranda,  came  into  the  kitchen, 
attracted  no  doubt,  like  ordinary  soldiers,  by  hear- 
ing talk  of  bread  and  honey. 

After  buying  some,  he  said  kindly  to  the  mis- 
tress, — 

"My  goot  voman,  dere's  going  to  be  fighting 
here,  and  you  had  petter  get  avay  at  vonce,  or 
you'll  get  hurt.'' 

A  voice  was  heard  from  some  subterranean  place 
near  at  hand,  saying,  "  I  wish  the  soldiers  would 
keep  away  from  my  house  !  " 

*'  Who's  that  ?  "  inquired  the  colonel  sharply. 


BATTLE-FIELD   OF  GETTYSBURG.       251 

"  That's  my  man  ;  he's  frightened  and  has  gone 
down  cellar,"  said  the  woman,  coolly  removing, 
with  a  long  iron-shod  hook,  some  brown  loaves  from 
her  capacious  oven. 

Just  before  we  left  the  house,  a  report  of  artillery 
was  heard,  and  a  shot  came  crashing  through  one 
of  the  outbuildinofs. 

"  You'd  petter  go  down  cellar  mit  your  hus- 
band," said  Colonel  Gruff  to  the  mistress. 

The  woman  stood  courageously  by  her  oven  and 
refused  to  "  budge,"  as  Jed  called  it,  and  continued 
to  sell  her  bread,  running  her  cooking  apparatus 
at  full  pressure,  saying,  "I'll  never  leave  this 
house  ! "  Anotlier  shot  crashed  into  the  house, 
causing  a  howl  from  the  cellar,  while  we  hurriedly 
took  our  places  in  the  ranks  to  repel  a  possible 
charge. 

And  now  a  shell  comes  in  curved  lines,  like  a 
rocket,  spluttering  and  growling,  like  an  ill-natured, 
absent-minded  man,  and  then,  as  if  in  sudden  recog- 
nition of  our  presence,  explodes  above  our  heads. 

The  ominous  order  comes,  to  "  Take  arms ! "  as 
another  rebel  battery  opens  fire  on  our  left.  Shot 
crashes  through  the  buildings  from  two  different 
directions. 

"  Dey's  got  us  enfiladed,  poys  !  "  coolly  remarks 
Colonel  Gruff,  who  sits  his  horse  at  the  right  rear 
of  the  line,  smoking  his  pipe.  In  another  moment 
the  veteran's  manner  changes  ;  with  a  quick  move- 
ment he  puts  aAvay  his  pipe,  takes  his  field-glass 


252  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

from  its  case,  hanging  by  his  side,  and  peers 
intently  towards  the  enemy.  He  puts  away  his 
glass,  glances  down  the  line,  and  gives  a  few 
orders.  "  We  shall  catch  it  now,"  growls  one  of 
the  men  in  an  undertone,  observing  these  move- 
ments of  the  veteran. 

Colonel  Gruff  now  rides  along  the  front  of  our 
line,  addressing  in  an  undertone  a  few  words  to 
each  captain.  Then  comes  the  order,  "  Attention 
company  !  Load  at  will !  Load  !  "  The  polished 
rammers  ring  in  the  muskets,  the  locks  of  the  mus- 
kets crackle  as  the  caps  are  adjusted.  Artillery 
goes  into  position  like  whirling  clock-work.  A  crash 
of  fast  plunging  shells  comes  from  the  enemy.  The 
woman  runs  from  the  house  with  her  apron  over 
her  head,  as  if  for  protection,  exclaiming,  "  They've 
shot  my  oven.'' 

A  terrible  uproar  of  battle  breaks  out  on  our 
left,  beyond  the  elevation  of  the  peach  orchard. 
Shot  smite  our  ranks  from  our  right  and  front,  and 
shriek  over  our  heads.  Long,  dark  masses  of  men 
are  forming  in  the  fields  in  our  front.  We  hear 
the  rattle  of  musketry  and  the  roar  of  artillery 
on  the  line  beyond  our  left,  which  curves  from 
the  peach  orchard,  Avhere  it  forms  an  angle  and 
sweeps  back  towards  Roundtop. 

Occasionally  above  the  roar  we  hear  the  yell 
and  shout  of  the  charge  and  repulse,  and  from  the 
bluish-white  sulphur  clouds  wliich  hang  near  the 
ground,  we  see  the  flash  of  artillery. 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG.       253 

The  storm  of  battle  has  reached  us.  Our  skir- 
mishers have  fallen  back  to  the  main  line,  and  the 
whole  front  now  lights  up  with  the  explosion  of 
muskets.  There  is  a  quick,  incessant  snap^  S7iap, 
snap,  of  muskets  fired  at  will,  punctuated  by  less 
rapid  detonations  of  artillery.  A  kitten,  mewing 
piteously,  runs  from  the  house  and  climbs  for  pro- 
tection upon  one  of  our  men's  shoulders.  Men, 
wounded,  drop  their  muskets  and  limp  to  the  rear ; 
they  fall  fast.  The  flagstaff  is  shot  from  the  hands 
of  its  bearer,  and  for  an  instant  the  flag  touches  the 
ground.  It  is  raised  again.  Bullets  from  the  enemy 
hiss  and  whisper  death.  Wounded  and  dying  men 
gasp  out  hurried  or  inarticulate  words.  The  voice 
of  Colonel  Gruff  is  heard  in  clear,  commanding 
tones,  "  Steady,  men." 

The  horses  and  most  of  the  men  on  the  guns  on 
our  left  are  shot.  Our  regimental  front  has  closed 
up  its  death-riddled  ranks,  until  it  occupies  not  half 
its  original  space,  and  yet  the  line  stands  firm. 
Will  re-enforcements  ever  come  ? 

Time  passes  with  leaden,  sluggish  wings,  for 
time  is  not  measured  by  minutes,  but  by  sensations. 
The  enemy  have  broken  the  Union  line  at  the  peach 
orchard,  and  our  position  is  being  flanked. 

We  fall  back  reluctantly,  for  we  do  not  under- 
stand that  this  is  necessary  in  order  to  connect  with 
our  lines,  which  have  been  swept  towards  Round- 
top  by  Longstreet's  terrible  ati^ck. 

Re-enforcements  come  up  and  begin  to  form  on 


254  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

our  riglit,  to  bring  us  Avitliin  supporting  distance 
of  the  2(1  Corps.  Our  ranks,  meanwhile,  exposed 
to  volleys  from  three  directions,  grow  thinner.  A 
bullet  strikes  my  musket,  glances  off,  and  wounds 
a  man  by  my  side. 

The  Confederate  attack  has  expended  its  force. 
Batteries  from  the  hills  back  of  us  throAV  plunging 
shot  into  the  ranks. 

We  had  fallen  back  almost  to  the  ridge,  when 
there  came  one  of  those  outbursts  often  seen  among 
veteran  soldiers.  A  cry  went  down  the  line  as  if 
by  some  electric,  spontaneous  agreement,  "  Charge 
them  !  charge  them!  "  and  the  five  regiments  of  our 
gallant  brigade,  so  decimated  that  its  lines  scarcely 
occupied  a  hundred  feet  of  front,  with  a  wild  hurrah 
went  charging  fiercely  over  the  ground  they  had  so 
reluctantly  abandoned. 

We  recaptured  our  abandoned  batteries,  and  res- 
cued and  sent  to  the  rear  many  wounded  comrades  ; 
while  in  our  rear,  men,  both  enemies  and  friends, 
who  were  thought  to  be  dead,  rose  to  their  feet  all 
over  the  plain. 

Near  the  house  on  the  Emmettsburg  road  we  cap- 
tured a  group  of  Confederates,  who  were  attempt- 
ing to  get  away  Avith  one  of  o"ur  abandoned  batteries. 
The  enemy  had  abandoned  the  main  attack. 

Longstreet's  flank  attack  had  failed.  The  fire 
irom  their  artillery  still  struck  our  ranks.  In  obe- 
dience to  orders,  in  the  gathering  darkness  we  fell 
back  to  the  heights  of  Cemetery  Ridge,  where  the 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG.       255 

arms  stacked  for  the  five  regiments  would  scarcely 
be  sufficient  for  one  full  regiment. 

We  now  began  to  have  intelligence  of  the  fight 
from  other  parts  of  the  line,  —  of  the  baffled  attack 
and  heroic  defence  of  Roundtop,  and  that  General 
Sickles  had  lost  his  leg. 

Exhausted,  Jed  and  I  had  lain  down  in  our 
blankets,  when  we  heard  some  one  inquiring  for 
Colonel  Gruff.  No  one  seemed  to  know  anytliing 
about  him.     He  was  missing. 

"  I  saw  him  leading  his  horse,"  said  some  one ; 
"the  horse  was  wounded,  and  then  I  saw  him 
on  foot  giving  orders,  with  his  saddle  on  his 
shoulders." 

We  aroused  ourselves  at  once.  Inquiry  was 
made  at  different  parts  of  the  line,  but  without  re- 
sult. ''  We  must  go  out  and  look  for  the  colonel," 
said  Jed  decisively. 

Notwithstanding  the  terrible  strain  put  upon 
them  by  the  day's  battle,  many  men  joined  us  in 
the  search  for,  and  the  relief  of,  their  unfortunate 
comrades  who  were  missing.  The  weary  privates 
who  had  fought  through  the  day  volunteered  to 
carry  water  to  the  wounded,  and  with  stretchers  be- 
gan to  explore  the  moonlit  plains  where  the  battle 
had  raged. 

Such  a  sight  of  death  and  suffering  is  seldom 
seen  by  human  eyes.  The  pale  moonlight  gave  to 
the  dead  a  more  ghastly  look,  and  to  the  wounded 
a  more  sickening  pallor. 


256  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

We  were  giving  water  to  the  wounded,  who 
made  constant  outcry  for  it,  and  were  putting 
wounded  men  in  more  comfortable  positions,  when 
we  saw  a  man  rise  from  a  group.  Challenged,  it 
proved  to  be  a  Confederate  soldier,  engaged  in  the 
same  mission  of  mercy  as  ourselves. 

''  I  have  been  giving  water  to  both  Yanks  and 
rebs,  but  I  am  a  prisoner  if  you  say  so,"  he  said. 

We  shook  hands  with  him,  in  recognition  of  his 
fraternal  spirit,  and  bade  him  go  on  his  Avay.  At 
one  point  in  our  search  there  was  an  isolated  bowl- 
der twenty  feet  broad,  rounded  towards  the  enemy 
and  flattened  on  the  opposite  side.  There  were 
twenty  dead  men  lying  together  here,  and  among 
them  we  saw  the  shoulder-straps  of  an  officer  and 
the  chevrons  of  sergeants.  In  the  attack  which 
had  swept  the  field  they  had  been  cut  off  from  the 
main  line,  and,  refusing  to  surrender,  had  fought 
and  died  at  their  post. 

We  came  to  Colonel  Gruff's  dead  horse,  searched 
the  plains  near  the  Emmettsburg  road,  and  ventured 
into  the  farmhouse  where  our  line  had  at  fii'st  been 
formed.  The  house  was  abandoned,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  wounded  men  on  the  veranda. 
The  moonlight  streamed  through  the  irregular  holes 
in  the  buildings  made  by  the  shot,  shell,  and  shower 
of  bullets. 

We  advanced  beyond,  when,  "  Halt !  Who  goes 
there  ?  "  came  the  quick  challenge  of  a  picket. 

We  tln-ew  ourselves  on  the  ground,  and  on  our 


MTTLE-FIELD   OF  GETTYSBURG.       25t 

hands  and  knees  crept  towards  the  house  again, 
amid  the  hiss  of  bullets. 

"  A  close  call,"  whispered  Jed. 

"Yes,'*  I  responded,  "but  I  am  afraid  Colonel 
Gruff  has  had  a  still  closer  one." 

We  rejoined  a  group  of  our  own  men,  and  searched 
the  field  towards  the  peach  orchard. 

"Don't  go  out  there,"  said  a  wounded  officer; 
"  my  men  are  out  there." 

"  We  can  take  care  of  ourselves,"  said  Jed. 

We  had  not  gone  a  hundred  yards  when  ping^ 
pimj,  zip,  zip!  came  the  bullets  of  the  enemy's 
videttes.     We  went  quickly  back. 

When  returning,  Ave  halted  near  the  rebel  officer 
who  had  given  us  the  friendly  warning,  and  asked 
him  if  we  could  do  anything  for  him.  He  replied 
that  he  was  in  a  very  uncomfortable  position,  and 
that  if  we  could  move  him  he  would  be  grateful. 
We  gathered  a  few  blankets  from  the  dead,  and 
with  these  arranged  him  as  comfortably  as  we  could, 
and  gave  him  a  canteen  of  water.  "  After  the  war 
is  over  we  may  meet  as  friends,  and  not  enemies," 
said  the  officer. 

Our  search  had  been  in  vain :  the  colonel  was 
either  dead  or  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  We 
reached  our  lines,  and  sadly  threw  ourselves  down 
by  our  sleeping  comrades. 

At  sunrise  the  Confederates  were  found  to  be  in 
possession  of  Culp's  Hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  ceme- 
tery.    Had  they  advanced  from  that  point  in  force 


jEi)'s  AbvENfun^i^. 


during  the  niglit  they  could  have  seized  the  Balti- 
more road,  and  compelled  our  retreat. 

We  quickly  drove  them  from  Gulp's  Hill  with 
our  superior  artillery.  The  Union  lines  were  now 
very  compact,  having  assumed  the  position  on  the 
line  of  hills,  wliich  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter 
we  mentioned  as  resembling  the  letter  f.  Our  line 
was  a  convex  one,  easy  to  re-enforce,  while  the  rebel 
lines  were  concave,  and  required  a  march  of  five 
miles  in  communicating  one  wing  with  the  other. 

Silence  fell  upon  the  field.  The  sun  was  hot,  and 
our  ranks  reclined  upon  the  ground,  expecting  an 
attack.  Two  hours  passed,  and  not  a  gun  was 
heard.  At  last  on  Seminary  Hill  a  single  gun  was 
fu-ed,  then  another.  It  was  the  signal  for  attack. 
A  most  terrible  cannonade  began.  Shell  groaned, 
hissed,  and  spluttered.  Solid  shot  crushed  the 
fences  and  stone  walls,  ploughed  the  ground,  or 
exploded  our  caissons.  A  continuous  succession 
of  crashing  sounds  ensued,  as  if  heaven  and  earth 
were  rent  asunder.  The  air  was  filled  with  burst- 
ing shell,  causing  us  to  grow  pale,  and  look  into 
each  other's  faces  with  awe  and  terror. 

By  a  rapid  and  continuous  circle  of  cross-firing 
of  artillery,  Lee,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  pieces 
of  artillery,  was  endeavoring  to  dismount  our  guns 
and  demoralize  our  troops.  Had  he  succeeded  he 
could  have  broken  through  our  left  centre. 

For  two  hours  the  terrible  cannonade  of  death, 
replied  to  by  the  Union  batteries,  continued.     Hill 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG.       259 

and  valley  seemed  a  flame  of  fii-e,  while  a  canopy  of 
smoke  that  came  from  the  cannons'  mouths  and  ob- 
scured the  sun,  produced  a  blackened  magnificence 
that  no  pen  can  describe. 

The  Union  guns  were  sent  to  the  rear,  and  our 
firing  ceased,  but  that  from  the  rebel  guns  continued 
a  while  longer.  But  all  things  have  an  end,  and  at 
last  the  carnival  of  death  ceased. 

Then  we  saw  that  the  charge  was  coming.  The 
faces  of  the  men  around  me  were  set  in  the  rigid 
tension  of  suspense.  The  Confederate  columns 
moved  over  the  plain  from  different  directions  in 
converging  columns  towards  Cemetery  Ridge  as 
a  common  centre  of  attack.  This  attack  has  been 
erroneously  termed  Pickett's  charge.  It  was  more 
properly  Longstreet's  assault,  as  Lee  had  placed  it 
under  the  direction  and  management  of  the  latter 
general. 

The  smoke  lifts  lazily  and  drifts  away  from  the 
valley,  revealing  the  dense  gray  masses  of  Con- 
federates advancing  over  the  fields.  They  approach 
with  the  steady  tread  of  veterans,  and  with  the  con- 
fidence of  victors. 

The  Union  artillery,  hitherto  silent  from  Round- 
top  to  the  cemetery,  open  mouths  of  destruction 
upon  their  compact  lines.  As  they  come  nearer, 
grape  and  canister  pass  through  and  rake  their 
ranks  like  chariots  of  death.  Great  gaps  are  seen 
in  their  ranks.  They  close  up  and  come  on.  We 
see  them,  like  shadows  through  the  smoke,  align 


260  JED'S  AbVE^TVnns. 

their  men  and  rush  upon  our  lines  with  shrill,  sharp 
yells  and  cries.  At  the  foot  of  the  slope  our  men, 
who  are  behind  a  stone  wall,  give  way.  ''  My  God ! 
they've  forced  our  lines,  sergeant,"  says  Lieutenant 
O'Keif,  clutching  my  arm.  For  a  few  moments  we 
hear  a  succession  of  terrible  sounds,  in  which  there 
is  the  rattle  of  musketry,  and  shriek  of  human 
voices. 

The  charge  is  repulsed.  The  proud  array  that 
marched  so  bravely  and  gallantly  on  our  lines  are 
dead,  wounded,  or  scattered  in  flight. 

All  was  excitement  and  exultation,  but  oh,  Avhat  a 
frightful  scene !  The  whole  slope  was  covered  with 
the  dead,  and  with  writhing,  wounded  men.  The 
Emmettsburg  road,  in  front  of  the  ridge,  was  liter- 
ally choked  with  the  dead  and  wounded  victims  of 
the  struggle.  The  cries  of  the  wounded  for  water 
mingled  with  the  shi^ieks  of  agony,  while  thou- 
sands of  the  enemy  lay  upon  the  ground  extending 
their  arms  in  token  of  surrender.  A  victorious 
field  is  second  only  in  horror  to  a  field  of  defeat. 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  over,  and  the  rebel 
army  gathered  up  its  broken  columns. 

The  next  morning  they  were  found  occupying  a 
short  but  compact  line  in  the  fringe  of  woods  on 
Seminary  Heights. 

We  were  assisting  to  gather  and  help  the 
wounded,  all  that  day.  At  one  point  in  the  field 
we  came  to  a  group  of  men  wounded  on  the  2d, 
only  one  of  whom  was  living.     Jed  rushed  towards 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG.      261 

Mm  with  quick  sympathy.  The  wounded  man  called 
for  water ;  and  then  said,  as  if  the  scene  had  made 
so  great  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he  could 
speak  of  nothing  else,  pointing  to  the  dead  around 
him,  — 

"  That  boy  died  crying  for  his  mother.  This 
man  crept  up  to  me,  and  put  his  hand  in  mine,  as 
if  for  sympathy,  and  died.  This  man  lasted  until 
most  daylight." 

"  Did  you  see  any  one  with  a  horse  ?  "  said  Jed, 
wiping  away  the  tears  caused  by  the  brief  but  pa- 
thetic recital. 

"  An  old  fellow  with  a  saddle  stopped  here  last 
night,  and  gave  us  water ! " 

"  That's  Colonel  Gruff,"  said  Jed,  "  it's  just  like 
him.     His  heart  is  as  tender  as  a  child's." 

A  new  hope  sprang  up  in  our  hearts.  Colonel 
Gruff  might  be  alive  and  a  prisoner. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AFTER  BATTLE. 

~[  TEAYY  rainfalls  follow  a  great  battle,  as  if 
-■ — L  Mother  Nature,  more  pitying  than  men,  de- 
sired to  relieve  the  soreness  of  hurts  and  wounds, 
and  the  thirst  of  those  lying  on  ensanguined  fields. 
The  grateful  sense  of  relief  thus  afforded  was  often 
expressed  by  those  whom  we  assisted. 

I  was  speaking  of  this  to  Jed  as  our  division 
marched  over  the  muddy  roads,  in  the  rain,  to 
strike  the  flank  of  Lee's  retreating  army. 

"Yes,"  said  Jed,  as  he  stopped  to  adjust  the 
strap  of  his  heavy  knapsack,  made  still  heavier  by 
the  soaking  rain,  and  then,  with  his  quaint  grimace, 
continued,  "but  I  ain't  hankering  for  any  more  of 
it."  Then,  after  a  moment's  thoughtful  silence,  he 
said,  "  You  remember  the  book  we  were  reading 
at  Fredericksburg,  Sterne's  '  Sentimental  Journey,' 
and  that  passage  which  I  said  was  as  tender  and 
as  beautiful  as  the  Bible,  '  The  Lord  tempers  the 
winds  to  the  shorn  lamb.'  I  have  thought  often 
since,  that  if  we  are  in  the  right  frame  of  mind,  — 
that  of  cheerfulness  and  thankfulness  for  the  good 
we  really  have,  —  misery  and  discomfort  roll  from 
us  like  rain  from  a  rubber  blanket.     I  sometimes 

262 


After  battle.  26^ 

think  a  soldier's  cheerfulness  while  marching  to 
battle  for  a  good  cause  is  a  prayer,  which  our 
good  Father  is  more  likely  to  hear  than  mere  words 
which  have  no  fulfilment  in  self-sacrifice." 

I  repeat  this  conversation  because  it  expresses 
Jed's  deeply  blended  patriotic  and  religious  con- 
victions, which,  however,  seldom  took  the  form  of 
words.  It  was  as  if  a  grain  of  seed  soAvn  by  Him 
of  Nazareth  had  found  lodgement  in  his  soul,  and 
Avas  bearing  the  fruits  of  a  beautiful  life. 

Jed  would  usually  turn  away  my  attempts  at 
theological  controversy  by  saying,  ''  Wrangling 
and  controversy  lead  us  away  from  Christ;  not 
to  him.  We  can  easily  understand  all  that  is  es- 
sential to  make  us  like  him ;  love  for  him  means 
love  for  our  fellow-men,  and  how  can  there  be  love 
without  charity  and  forbearance  ?  " 

This  is  all  of  Jed's  theories  of  religion,  or  of  his 
love  for  the  Master,  that  I  ever  knew ;  but  I  did 
know  that  daily  and  secret  prayer  was  giving  to 
his  character  a  manly  sweetness  wliich  impressed 
all  who  knew  him. 

One  character  connected  with  this  narrative  I 
have  not  yet  mentioned.  Colonel  Gruff's  servant, 
a  gentleman  of  extreme  brevity  and  blackness 
(with  the  whitest  teeth  and  the  most  expansive 
india-rubber-like  mouth  I  ever  saw),  known  to  the 
regiment  as  Smutty.  He  had  come  into  our  lines 
while  the  regiinent  was  at  Fredericksburg.  Colo- 
nel Gruff  had  employed  him  to  cook  and  work 


264  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

around  his  quarters,  until,  being  absent  for  a  few 
hours,  he  returned  to  find  Smutty  arrayed  in  a  suit 
of  his  clothes.  The  colonel  thereupon  indignantly 
discharged  him.  But  the  next  morning  Smutty 
was  found  at  work  as  usual  in  the  colonel's  tent, 
getting  breakfast  and  brushing  his  clothes,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  The  colonel  then  not  only 
discharged  him,  but  "  fired  him  out,"  with  emphatic 
emphasis. 

In  less  than  three  hours  Colonel  Gruff  was 
awakened  from  his  noonday  nap  by  what  Osgood 
called  "  a  rumpus."  It  was  Smutty,  engaged  in  a 
stentorian  conversation  with  a  soldier  who  had 
stumbled  over  the  tent  ropes. 

"  When  yer  toddles  ober  dem  ropes,  I  speaks  to 
yer,  and  calls  yer  white  trash ;  when  yer  tumbles 
ober  hyer  twice  like  yer  dus  now,  dere's  gwine  to 
be  somebody  hurt.     Does  yer  har  me  ?  " 

The  colonel  ran  from  his  tent  to  remonstrate 
and  to  again  discharge  him,  to  wliich  Smutty  paid 
not  the  slightest  attention,  but,  like  a  miniature 
cyclone,  continued  chastising  the  soldier.  After 
the  affair  was  ended  by  the  ejection  of  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance.  Smutty,  with  his  broadest  grin, 
bowed  to  the  colonel,  and  said,  — 

''  Go  into  de  tent,  if  yer  please,  Massa  Kunnel, 
I  kin  tend  to  de  sturbances." 

Whether  Colonel  Gruff  was  converted  by  his 
usefulness,  or  conquered  by  his  persistency,  I  do 
not  know,  but  from  that  time  he  gave  up  the  task 


AFTER  BATTLE.  265 

of  discharging  Smutty,  declaring  he  would  have  to 
wait  until  Smatty  discharged  himself. 

Smutty  was  a  model  servant  in  many  ways,  and 
was  devotedly  attached  to  the  interests  of  his  mas- 
ter ;  but  he  still  retained  the  inconvenient  habit  of 
wearing  the  colonel's  clothes,  and  never,  to  my 
knowledge,  paid  the  slightest  heed  to  his  remon- 
strances, or  any  one's  else,  in  the  matter. 

Smutty  was  not  particularly  fond  of  battle,  and 
absented  himself  from  such  "  sturbances "  as  he 
called  them. 

When  Colonel  Gruff  failed  to  appear  after  the 
third  day's  fighting,  Smutty 's  face  had  an  injured 
expression,  as  if  he  or  the  '^  Kunnel,"  or  both,  had 
been  improperly  dealt  with.  He  was  silent  and 
uncommunicative  ;  and  then,  as  if  our  society  had 
lost  its  charms  for  him,  he  disappeared. 

Jed  declared  he  had  gone  in  pursuit  of  Colonel 
Gruff,  while  others  persisted  that  he  had  gone  over 
to  the  enemy  to  look  up  another  master. 

Our  advance  continued  until,  on  the  12th,  we 
once  more  confronted  the  enemy  at  Williamsport. 
Here  the  Confederates  were  separated  from  Vir- 
ginia by  a  freshet,  which  made  the  Potomac  impas- 
sable, and  there  was  no  bridge  over  which  they 
could  cross  the  river. 

IVIuch  was  said  in  the  newspapers  during  the 
war,  about  soldiers  being  anxious  to  be  led  into 
battle;  but  soldiers  were  not  usually  eager  to 
fight. 


266  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

At  this  time,  however,  they  had  but  one  desire, 
and  that  was  to  take  arms  and  charge.  They  be- 
lieved they  could  capture  all  the  material  of  the 
rebel  army,  and  end  the  war. 

And  here  let  me  say,  that,  while  there  will  always 
be  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  manner  the 
Confederate  army  should  have  been  attacked,  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt  that  Meade  should  have 
struck  a  blow  at  his  antagonist  before  he  crossed 
the  Potomac. 

On  the  17th  our  brigade  crossed  the  river,  and 
marched  along  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Moun- 
tains, which  separated  the  two  armies.  There 
were  occasional  skirmishes  as  the  contestants  came 
in  contact  with  each  other,  through  the  mountain 
passes. 

The  rugged  picturesqueness  of  these  mountains, 
with  their  overhanging  cliffs,  on  which  grew  forest 
trees  and  a  dense  undergrowth,  impressed  us  with 
their  wild  beauty. 

At  Manassas  Gap  our  corps  relieved  the  cavalry. 
The  rearguard  of  the  Confederate  army  held  pos- 
session of  a  part  of  it,  while  their  army  made  its 
passage  from  the  valley  to  Culpeper  Court-House. 

An  unusual  incident  took  place  while  a  part  of 
our  brigade  Avas  on  picket  here.  A  number  of 
Confederate  soldiers  came  in,  and  delivered  them- 
selves up  as  prisoners,  saying  they  were  tired  of 
fighting.  They  expressed  a  desire  to  get  some 
Yankee  coffee,  and  go  to  the  rear. 


AFTER  BATTLE.  267 

We  then  learned  that  the  Confederate  army  had 
retreated,  and  that  these  men  had  purposely  staid 
behind  to  be  taken  prisoners.  As  the  last  of  these 
men  came  in,  a  scow-shaped  Avagon  with  a  ragged 
white  cover  followed  in  their  rear,  as  if  under  their 
charge.  The  driver  was  a  short,  stout,  black  man, 
who  explained  his  mission  by  announcing  that  he 
had  something  for  the  — th  Mass.  Jed  and  I,  who 
were  just  relieved  from  duty,  were  among  the 
crowd  who  gathered  around  the  incoming  '^  John- 
nies." '^  What's  up  ?  "  we  inquired.  Just  then,  as 
we  pressed  forward,  the  negro  driver  caught  sight 
of  us,  and  exclaimed,  — 

''  Got  suthin  fur  yo,  sure  nuff,  sah  !  " 

The  reader  can  imagine  our  astonishment  when 
in  the  sable  driver  we  recognized  Smutty.  Added 
to  this  surprise  was  another  still  greater.  The 
rough  canvas  of  the  wagon  was  pushed  aside,  and 
the  face  of  Colonel  Gruff  looked  out. 

There  Avas  great  excitement  in  our  regiment, 
with  whom  the  colonel  was  a  great  favorite.  The 
grizzly  face  of  the  colonel,  unshaven  for  a  long 
time,  was  pale  and  haggard;  but  his  joy,  as  well  as 
our  own,  at  tliis  meeting  cannot  be  described. 

There  was  one  thing,  however,  that  marred  our 
pleasure,  —  the  dear,  brave  old  colonel's  arm  had 
been  amputated  below  the  elbow. 

His  story  was  soon  told  in  brief.  He  had  been 
wounded  at  the  time  of  our  falling  back  from  the 
Emmettsburg  road,  while  attempting  to  help  some 


268  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

wounded  men ;  and,  while  endeavoring  to  find  his 
way  back,  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

Before  Lee's  retreat,  many  prisoners  had  been  pa- 
roled by  the  Confederates;  but  for  some  reason 
Colonel  Gruff  had  not  been  included  among  them, 
and  had  been  hurried  forward  with  the  retreating 
enemy. 

How  Smutty  had  reached  the  rebel  lines  was 
never  known,  as  that  dignitary  never  condescended 
to  explain  trifling  matters ;  but  one  day  he  had 
mysteriously  thrust  his  head  into  the  wagon  which 
contained  Colonel  Gruff,  and  then  for  a  time  dis- 
appeared. 

''  At  first,"  said  the  colonel,  "  I  thought  it  an 
hallucination,  but  soon  after  found  Smutty  driving 
the  team  in  the  same  unconcerned,  matter-of-course 
manner  in  which  he  achieves  all  his  triumphs,  and 
one  Avould  have  thought  that  he  had  always  driven 
that  particular  team." 

When  he  was  asked  what  had  become  of  the 
other  driver,  he  replied,  "  Golly !  dun  no  ;  'spect  he 
drapped  from  dat  yer  mule ; "  and  that  was  the  only 
explanation  he  ever  vouchsafed,  to  the  colonel  or  any 
one  else.  As  Smutty  wore  a  motley  mass  of  rags 
instead  of  one  of  the  colonel's  suits,  it  was  guessed 
that  this  exchange  of  clothing  had  been  the  price 
of  his  position  as  driver,  and  in  some  way  was  con- 
nected with  the  former  driver's  disappearance. 

Colonel  Gruff 's  wounds  were  healing,  but  he  did 


AFTER  BATTLE.  269 

not  speak  in  especially  complimentary  terms  of  the 
comforts  he  had  enjoyed,  and  endeavored  to  convey 
to  us,  by  sundry  rough  metaphors,  the  jolting  na- 
ture of  the  wagon  in  which  he  had  been  conve3^ed. 
As  they  had  neared  Manassas  Gap,  under  various 
pretences,  the  team  had  been  delayed.  At  last  a 
wheel  came  off,  and  Smutty  drove  the  team  one 
side  to  repair  it ;  and  this  delay,  not  being  noticed, 
gave  them  the  opportunity  to  reach  our  lines  with 
the  Confederate  deserters,  as  narrated. 

Colonel  Gruff  was  tenderly  cared  for  after  his 
arrival  in  our  lines,  and  Smutty  for  a  time  fol- 
lowed the  ambulance  on  foot ;  but  when  we  got 
into  camp  the  next  night,  Smutty  was  driving  that 
ambulance,  as  serene  and  as  cool  as  a  sheet  of  ice. 

August  1,  the  pursuit  being  over,  found  us  in 
camp  at  Beverly  Ford. 

Colonel  Gruff  was  sent  to  the  "Satterly  Hos- 
pital" in  AVashington,  where  he  remained  until  just 
before  the  Wilderness  campaign,  under  Grant, 
began. 

While  at  Beverty  Ford  I  received  a  letter  from 
my  aunt,  —  the  first  I  had  received  since  writing 
from  Fredericksburg,  after  the  battle  of  Chancel- 
lors ville.  She  had  received  the  letter  containing  the 
details  of  Weston's  confession,  and  had  communi- 
cated its  contents  to  the  squire.  On  searching  for 
the  tin  box  which  contained  the  money,  which  had 
been  concealed  by  Weston  in  the  straw  mattress, 
they  had  been  unable  to  find  it. 


270  JED'S   ADVENTURES. 

In  the  campaign  of  manoeuvres,  which  followed, 
we  took  part,  but  had  little  or  no  fighting. 

At  Rappahannock  Station  an  incident  occurred 
which  deserves  a  place  in  this  narrative,  as  it  con- 
cerns one  of  the  characters  to  whom  the  reader  has 
been  introduced. 

In  falling  back  to  this  place,  in  one  of  the  coun- 
termarches which  characterized  this  campaign,  we 
formed  a  part  of  the  rearguard. 

The  engineers  were  destroying  a  long  railroad 
bridge  which  spanned  a  gorge  on  the  steep  banks 
of  the  Rappahannock.  They  had  destroyed  the 
south  end,  and  only  one  plank  connected  the  shore 
with  the  bridge,  twenty  feet  or  so  therefrom.  The 
structure  was  heaped  with  inflammable  material, 
ready  to  fire,  when  there  appeared  in  sight,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Rappahannock,  a  single  Union 
horseman  furiously  pursued  by  rebel  cavalrymen, 
w^ho  were  shouting,  and  firing  upon  him. 

The  horseman,  urging  his  horse  to  its  utmost 
speed,  reached  the  shore,  and,  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  coolly  trotted  his  horse  over  the  single 
plank  on  to  the  bridge.  As  the  fore-feet  of  the 
horse  struck  the  railroad  ties  of  the  bridge  he 
stumbled,  the  cavalryman  slid  over  his  neck,  and 
landed  safely  on  his  feet.  Not  so,  however,  the 
faithful  beast  he  had  ridden.  He  reeled  back  and 
was  precipitated  over  the  gorge,  and  lay  mangled 
and  dead  on  the  rocks,  sixty  feet  below. 

Coolly  removing  an  envelope  from  his  belt,  the 


AFTER  BATTLE.  271 

orderly  presented  it  to  the  engineer  officer,  simply 
remarking  on  the  loss  of  his  horse,  "  I  am  sorry  to 
lose  my  horse  and  revolver."  It  was  Henry  Grace, 
riding  with  orders  from  General  Meade. 

That  winter  we  went  into  quarters  at  Brandy 
Station.  The  ordinary  camp  life  was  unbroken, 
save  by  court-martials  and  military  punishments. 

Our  term  of  enlistment  ended  that  winter,  but 
we  felt  it  to  be  a  patriotic  duty  to  re-enlist ;  and  our 
desire  to  do  so  was  strengthened  by  the  rumor  that 
General  Grant  would  command  the  army  in  the 
approaching  campaign. 

Shortly  after  re-enlisting  for  another  term  of  ser- 
vice, both  Jed  and  I  were  recommended  for  promo- 
tion as  lieutenants  in  our  own  regiments. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

GRANT   TAKES   COMMAND. 

TT  was  a  spring  day  of  unclouded  splendor,  in 
-'-  Virginia.  The  snow  on  the  crests  of  the  Blue 
Ridge,  so  long  visible  from  our  quarters,  had 
disappeared.  Frequent  inspections  and  reviews 
foreshadowed  the  speedy  opening  of  the  spring 
campaign.  Among  the  log  huts  roofed  with  A 
tents,  their  rude  chimneys  of  sticks  and  mud 
capped  by  barrels,  might  be  seen  the  glittering 
muskets  of  moving  sentinels  ;  while,  here  and  there, 
groups  of  soldiers  swept  the  company  streets,  or 
engaged  in  ordinary  camp  duties.  Arches  and 
other  decorations  of  evergreen  showed  the  charac- 
teristic pride  of  Union  soldiers  in  their  more  j)er- 
manent  camps. 

Under  the  fly  of  a  large  tent,  at  a  rude  table,  our 
company  officers  were  at  dinner.  Colonel  Gruff 
had  just  returned  from  the  Washington  hospital, 
and  was  the  guest  of  the  mess  ;  and  Jed  and  myself, 
as  acting  lieutenants,  were  also  present. 

After  dinner  Colonel  Gruff  had  taken  from  his 

pocket  a  Washington  newspaper,  and,  calling  for 

attention,  read  the  following :  ''  The  rank  of  Lieu- 

tenantrGeneral,  revived  by  Act  of  Congress,  passed 

272  .    -  . 


GRANT  TAKES  COMMAND.  273 

February  14th,  has  been  conferred  upon  General 
Grant,  by  the  President.  The  general  will,  by 
virtue  of  this  office,  take  command  of  all  the  armies 
in  the  field.  It  is  also  understood  that  he  will 
make  his  headquarters  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  direct  its  operations  in  person." 

''  By  me  sowl  I "  exclaimed  Captain  O'Keif, 
"byes,  this  means  fighting,  and  plenty  of  it, 
too !  " 

"Yes,"  assented  Colonel  Gruff.  "Shentlemen, 
dot  means  ve  shall  move  soon  ;  and  ve  shall  soon 
fight  and  keep  on  fighting  until  ve  are  vipped,  or 
the  enemy  is  vipped,"  and  he  thumped  the  table 
excitedly  with  the  stump  of  his  amputated  arm. 

A  smile  went  around  the  table,  for  the  old  sol- 
dier was  seldom  so  demonstrative.  The  colonel, 
having  thus  delivered  his  opinion,  carefully  filled 
and  lit  his  pipe,  making  rather  awkward  work  of 
it  with  his  one  hand,  and  then  sat  silently  smoking, 
as  if  ashamed  of  the  emphasis  of  his  remarks. 

The  prospect  of  fighting  is  not  always  dreaded 
by  soldiers,  since,  by  the  very  nature  of  their  pro- 
fession, it  must  come  ,  yet  even  on  the  youngest 
soldier's  face,  the  lines  of  care,  which  are  common 
to  those  who  follow  a  perilous  profession,  had  begun 
to  deepen,  with  thoughts  of  the  coming  campaign. 

As  we  sat  discussing  the  prospect  of  the  army 
under  the  new  commander,  a  mounted  officer, 
dressed  in  a  rusty  uniform,  came  riding  down  the 
company  street,  and  dismounted  in  front  of  our 


274  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

tent,  with  the  evident  intention  of  tightening  the 
girth  of  his  saddle. 

Our  party  saluted ;  and  the  officer  of  the  guard 
near  at  hand,  seeing  him  to  be  a  general  of  high 
rank,  commanded  (as  was  customary),  "  Turn  out 
the  guard." 

"  Never  mind  the  guard,"  quietly  responded  the 
officer. 

Colonel  Gruff  now  came  forward,  and  with  bluff 
courtesy  invited  the  general  to  a  seat,  sending  his 
own  orderly  to  fasten  the  saddle-girth. 

With  a  quick,  penetrating  glance  at  the  colonel, 
the  general  extended  his  hand,  saying,  ''  Is  this  not 
Gruff,  whom  I  knew  in  the  Mexican  war?  " 

"  Yes,  general,"  said  the  colonel,  with  a  flush  of 
pride  at  being  thus  recognized  by  his  superior,  "  I 
was  Corporal  Gruff  of  the  —  Artillery." 

I  noted  that  the  general  was  rather  below  the 
medium  height,  thin  in  person,  but  compactly 
built.  His  eyes  were  gray,  clear,  and  cold;  his 
features  were  regular,  his  forehead  broad,  and  his 
face  flushed  as  if  blushing ;  while  his  mouth,  seen 
through  his  close-trimmed  brown  beard,  was  straight 
cut,  and,  when  he  spoke,  the  thin,  bloodless  lips 
came  together  with  something  like  a  snap.  His 
bearing  was  sim^^le,  and  his  manner  one  of  tranquil 
firmness,  as  of  conscious  power  in  repose.  Though 
his  face  was  almost  stony  in  its  immobility  (as  if 
long  trained  to  conceal  any  expression  of  thoughts), 
yet  his  personal  motions  were  so  quick  as  to  be 


GRANT  TAKES   COMMAND.  275 

almost  jerky ;  as  if  the  regular  army  drill  masters' 
constant  command,  "  Make  your  motions  quickly, 
and  then  steady  yourself  for  the  next  order,"  had 
become  thoroughly  embedded  in  his  habits.  When 
he  removed  his  hat  I  noticed  the  shape  of  the  back 
of  his  head,  ^Yhich  formed  neai'ly  a  right  angle,  the 
vertical  line  of  which  ran  straight  down  to  his 
collar.  He  remained  seated  but  a  moment,  then 
rose  quickly,  as  if  in  haste. 

Colonel  Gruff  introduced  us  collectively,  saying, 
"  Shentlemen,  this  is  Lieutenant-General  Grant." 

The  general's  horse  now  being  ready  he  walked 
quickly  to  it,  with  his  head  in  advance  of  his  body. 
He  vaulted  to  his  saddle  without  use  of  the  stirrup, 
and  rode  away,  leaning  far  forward  on  his  horse, 
with  a  concentrated  look  on  his  face. 

"  How  did  you  know  General  Grant  ?  "  we  ex- 
claimed, gathering  around  the  old  colonel,  for  we 
had  never  heard  the  least  expression  from  him,  in- 
dicating such  an  acquaintance. 

"  Vel,  boys,  I  never  knew  Sheneral  Grant,  but  I 
knew  a  leetle  Lieutenant  Grant  in  de  Mexican 
var.  I  helped  him  vonce  to  get  a  howitzer  to  the 
top  of  a  church  belfry  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and 
we  pelted  some  Mexicans  at  the  San  Cosme  Gate." 

A  short  time  after  this,  all  was  in  a  bustle  of  prep- 
aration. The  log  huts  were  destroyed,  and  troops 
bivouacked  in  the  held,  to  prevent  delay  in  march- 
ing whenever  the  orders  should  come.     At  sunset 


276  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

on  the  4th  of  May,  orders  were  issued  for  our  regi- 
ments to  move  at  half-past  ten  that  night.  All 
unnecessary  fires  were  prohibited,  taps  and  tattoo 
were  beaten  at  the  usual  hours ;  but  instead  of  set- 
tling to  its  rest,  the  army,  with  its  long  trains,  was 
marched  to  the  fords  of  the  Rapidan,  to  open  the 
cam23aign  of  1864. 

The  soldiers,  who,  while  in  winter  quarters,  had 
accumulated  much  extra  baggage,  in  tliis  rapid 
march  began  throwing  away  their  blankets  and 
clothing  on  all  sides.  Pack  mules,  loaded  pictu- 
resquely with  pickaxes  and  shovels  for  intrench- 
ing purposes,  accompanied  the  divisions  of  the 
army. 

On  the  5th  of  i\Iay,  Griffin's  division  of  the  5th 
Corps,  which  had  been  thrown  out  to  prevent  an 
irruption  of  the  enemy  into  the  roads  upon  which 
Sedgwick's  corps  was  yet  to  move,  encountered  the 
van  of  Hill's  corps,  of  the  Confederate  army,  and 
a  fierce  fight  took  place. 

It  was  Grant's  plan  that,  having  turned  the  Con- 
federate right  by  the  successful  passage  of  the 
Rapidan,  he  would  mask  his  march  through  the 
Wilderness,  and  then,  by  a  rapid  advance  towards 
Gordonsville,  plant  himself  between  the  Confede- 
rate army  and  Richmond. 

The  centre  of  Lee's  line  at  this  time  was  at 
Orange  Court-House,  from  whence  the  Orange  and 
Fredericksburg  plank  road  and  turnpike  ran  in 
parallel  lines    eastward.      Down   these  roads  Lee 


GRANT  TAKES  COMMAND.  277 

hurled  his  troops  upon  the  exposed  flank  of  the 
Union  army. 

The  Confederate  commander  knew  every  road 
and  by-path  of  the  Wilderness,  while  to  the  Union 
leader  it  was  an  unknown  region. 

Artillery  could  not  be  used  here  because  of  the 
thick  undergrowth  of  jack  oaks,  pines,  and  entan- 
gling vines. 

The  Confederates  soon  attacked  Warren's  corps, 
whose  naked  flank  was  exposed,  and  thus  showed 
that  general  that  the  enemy  was  in  force  on  his 
front. 

Information  of  the  Confederate  attack  having 
been  conveyed  to  Grant,  the  forward  movement  of 
troops  by  the  flank  was  suspended,  in  order  to  meet 
the  attack  now  begun  by  the  enemy,  who  were  hop- 
ing to  entangle  and  insnare  the  Union  army  in  this 
labyrinth  of  woods. 

Hancock's  corps,  to  which  we  were  now  attached, 
was  at  this  time  near  Todd's  Tavern.  We  at  once 
began  a  march  up  the  Brock  road,  to  its  intersec- 
tion with  the  Orange  plank  road,  to  take  part 
in  the  contest  thus  begun  between  the  two 
armies. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the 
scene  of  the  battle,  and  began  intrenching  ourselves 
by  felling  trees  and  heaping  soil  against  their 
trunks.  Before  these  works  were  completed,  how- 
ever, we*  were  ordered  to  attack  the  enemy  on  the 
plank  road.     The  fight  which  now  ensued  baffles 


278  JED'S  ADVENTURED. 

description.  The  enemy  fired  at  us  from  behind 
trees,  bushes,  stumj)S,  and  from  thickets. 

In  advancing  through  the  tangled  undergrowth 
of  creeping  vines  and  low  oaks  and  pines  we  could 
not  preserve  our  alignments,  and  the  left  of  a  bri- 
gade could  only  determine  the  position  of  its  right 
by  the  smoke  from  its  muskets. 

The  nature  of  the  fighting  vexed  Colonel  Gruff 
very  much.  As  he  dismounted  from  his  horse  and 
led  liim  through  the  bushes,  in  the  rear  of  his  regi- 
ment, he  was  heard  to  growl  at  every  step,  "  Bush- 
vacking  I  bushvacking  ! "' 

Tlie  firing,  which  was  at  first  desultory,  soon 
became  fierce  and  continuous.  There  were  at  this 
time  a  large  number  of  bounty  men  and  recruits  in 
our  regiment,  who  had  never  before  smelled  gun- 
powder. This  fact  made  our  force  less  reliable  in 
holding  its  ground  than  in  former  actions,  and  re- 
quired constant  vigilance  from  the  file  closers,  who 
occupied  a  position  a  few  steps  in  rear  of  the  main 
line. 

Occasionally  some  man,  appalled  by  the  terrible 
nature  of  the  fighting,  would  break  and  attempt  to 
run.  The  men  were  falling  fast  when  a  strapping 
Irish  recruit  came  three  times  to  the  rear  in  this 
attempt. 

Captain  O'Keif  collared  him  in  his  third  attempt, 
and,  whirling  him  around  with  his  face  to  the  enemy, 
exclaimed,  ''  The  enemy  are  not  back  here  at  all, 
man.     By  the  holy  St.  Patrick,  they  are  thicker 


GRANT  TAKES  COMMAND.  279 

than  bees  straight  ahead,  as  I'm  pointing 
you." 

"  Over  there  is  it,  captain  ?  Divil  a  man  knows 
it  better  than  myself.  But  just  think  of  me  being 
kilt  without  a  2)raste  !  " 

"  By  me  sowl ! "  said  Captain  O'Keif,  "  an  Irish- 
man who  would  run  wouldn't  be  worth  a  praste, 
and  if  yez  don't  keep  yer  place  in  line,  I'll  blow  yer 
brains  out." 

The  recruit,  as  he  took  his  place  in  line,  was 
heard  to  exclaim  to  his  comrades,  "  Let  us  die  here 
like  men."  At  which  O'Keif  said  droUy,  "See 
what  a  brave  man  I've  made  of  him  !  " 

At  another  time,  during  the  fiercest  of  the  fight, 
Sonny,  the  dismounted  cavalryman,  arrested  the 
flight  of  a  foreign  recruit,  and  addressed  a  few 
words  of  remonstrance  to  him.  The  recruit 
shook  his  head  and  said,  "No  understand  Eng- 
lesh." 

At  which  Sonny  turned  the  recruit  with  his  face 
to  the  enemy,  and  with  repeated  kicks  from  his  No. 
10  shoes  forced  the  would-be  runaway  into  line,  re- 
marking in  an  aside,  "  That's  a  language  anybody 
can  understand."  Such  is  often  the  by-play  of 
battle,  at  which  a  soldier  laughs  even  in  the  midst 
of  danger. 

The  roar  and  crackle  of  musketry  now  became 
terrible,  even  to  veterans.  A  single  piece  of  artil- 
lery was  heard  beating  time,  as  it  were,  to  the 
steady  roar  of  musketry. 


280  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

While  the  wounded  and  dying  were  constantly 
being  borne  to  the  rear,  an  occasional  skulker  or 
coward  sought  to  escape  from  peril  by  banda- 
ging his  arm,  or  with  some  other  device,  to  reach 
that  safe  retreat.  The  colonel  rudely  halted  this 
class  of  men,  detaining  them  whether  they  be- 
longed to  his  regiment  or  not. 

The  sun  went  down  on  this  vast  ensanguined 
field,  which  was  more  like  miles  of  disconnected 
skirmisliing  than  a  battle.  The  nature  of  the 
combat  was  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  fight- 
ing, and  fully  justified  by  its  nature  the  dissatis- 
fied growls  of  Colonel  Gruff,  — 

"  Bushvacking  —  miles  of  bushvacking  !  Yon 
grand  skirmish  I  " 

As  night  came  on,  the  firing  died  awa}^  along  the 
line  as  if  by  mutual  consent  of  the  combatants. 
Men  now  boiled  their  coffee,  smoked  their  pij^es, 
or  searched  for  missing  comrades  ;  and  then  rolled 
themselves  in  their  blankets  and  slept  under  the 
stars  more  soundly  than  men  sleep  in  their  beds 
at  home. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  the  sun's 
light  had  illumined  the  tangled  depths  of  this  vast 
forest,  musket  firing  broke  out  afresh.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy  could  be  guessed  only  by  the 
lines  of  Avhite,  sulphurous  smoke,  which  rose  from 
their  muskets. 

We  soon,  made  an  advance  of  half  a  mile  through 
the  woods.     In  tliis  advance  the  color  bearer  was 


GRANT  TAKES   COMMAND.  281 

shot,  and  fell,  exclaiming,  "  Don't  let  the  flag  go 
down ! " 

Sonny  (whose  real  name  was  Joe  Mayo)  seized 
the  standard,  and  carried  it  proudly  forward  into 
the  storm  of  bullets.  Colonel  Gruff  saw  the  act, 
and  shouted,  — 

"  I  makes  you  mine  color  sergeant,  sir !  "  Sonny, 
promoted  on  the  field  of  battle,  might  well  be 
proud. 

During  this  advance  through  the  maze  of  under- 
brush, scrub  pines,  and  oaks,  the  thickets  were  so 
dense  that  we  could  not  see  a  dozen  yards  right  or 
left,  and  had  not  been  able  to  preserve  our  align- 
ments. 

Our  course,  which  hitherto  had  been  disputed 
by  sharpshooters  and  skirmishers,  was  now  inter- 
rupted by  a  roar  of  continuous  musketry  which 
broke  out  from  every  thicket  on  our  front. 

To  illustrate,  let  me  say,  to  the  uninitiated,  that 
this  sounded,  in  miniature,  as  if  bushels  of  lighted 
fire-crackers  had  been  thrown  into  miles  of  barrels 
standing  in  a  row. 

Under  this  heavy  firing  we  fell  back,  fighting 
stubbornly  at  every  step,  and  seeking  shelter 
behind  stumps  and  trees  from  the  angry  bullets 
that  filled  the  air  with  ominous  hissings. 

In  the  smoke  and  confusion  of  this  retreat,  when 
the  fire  was  the  hottest,  we  found  ourselves 
hemmed  in  on  three  sides  by  the  enemy's  infantry 
fire. 


282  JED'S  ADVENTUBES. 

On  examination  it  was  found  that  about  twenty 
of  our  company  had  become  separated  from  the 
main  line ;  among  whom  was  Sonny  (still  carrying 
the  flag),  Jed,  and  myself. 

In  trying  to  get  back  from  the  encircling  mus- 
kets, we  came  to  a  little  clearing  in  the  heart  of 
this  forest,  where  we  encountered  Colonel  Gruff, 
who  was  leading  his  horse  to  the  clearing. 

Exclaiming,  "We  are  cut  off  from  the  main 
line  I  Save  yourselves  !  Don't  be  taken  prison- 
ers ! "  he  vaulted  into  the  saddle,  and  with  his 
bridle  in  his  teeth,  and  a  six-shooter  in  his  hand, 
dashed  across  the  clearing. 

We  saw  two  rebel  cavalrj^men  dart  from  the 
thicket  and  give  chase.  The  veteran  did  not  spur 
his  horse  to  greater  speed,  though  the  cavalrymen 
were  gaining  on  him.  We  saw  him  reach  a  fence, 
jump  his  horse  over  it,  then  resuming  the  bridle 
with  his  teeth  once  more,  turn  in  his  saddle  and 
fire  at  his  nearest  pursuer.  The  cavalryman  rolled 
from  his  saddle. 

"  Jerusalem,  that  was  cool  I  "  exclaimed  Sonny. 

We,  meanwhile,  were  following  at  good  speed  in 
the  same  direction,  occasionally  coming  to  an  about 
face  to  repel,  or  keep  at  a  respectful  distance,  the 
enemy  in  our  rear. 

We  had  nearly  crossed  the  clearing  and  reached 
the  fence  when  a  volley  was  fired  from  the  woods 
on  our  left.  Fortunately,  most  of  the  shot  passed 
over    our  heads,  though  one  struck  the  flagstaff 


GRANT  TAKES   COMMAND.  283 

carried  by  Sonny,  cutting  it  off  above  his  head, 
near  the  colors. 

"Drop  the  flag,  drop  it!"  exclaimed  several  of 
our  squad,  "  it  draws  the  fire."  But  Sonny  refused 
to  abandon  his  flag,  which  he  fixed  to  the  staff 
again,  saying,  — 

"  It  sha'n't  be  touched  by  a  reb  as  long  as  I 
live  !  " 

We  had  now  reached  a  thick  pine  covert  to  the 
left  of  the  course  our  colonel  had  taken.  Jed  and 
I,  with  the  remaining  members  of  our  party,  deter- 
mined to  make  a  stand  here,  and  send  out  two  men 
to  reconnoitre. 

Sonny  volunteered  for  this  duty.  He  came  back 
to  us  after  a  few  minutes  and  said  he  "guessed  it 
was  safe  for  us  to  try  and  reach  the  Brock  road," 
where  our  main  line  was  formed.  \Ye  noticed  that 
Sonny  no  longer  carried  the  flag. 

In  advancing  through  the  Avoods  we  met  no 
hinderances,  though  the  roar  of  the  conflict  was 
heard  all  around  us. 

We  were  still  advancing  through  the  woods 
cautiously,  keeping  our  alignments  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, when,  both  on  our  light  and  on  our  left,  there 
came  the  order,  — 

"  Halt !  Come  in  out  of  the  cold,  Yanks  !  " 

The  order  was  decisive  :  and  we  had  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  die  or  surrender,  as  the  protruding  mus- 
kets on  every  side  proclaimed.  We  had  run 
between  two  lines  of  Confederates  formed  at  a,n 


284  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

angle  in  the  woods.  We  were  soon  disarmed  and 
marched  to  the  rear. 

Jed  had  been  in  command  of  our  squad  during 
the  events  narrated.  He  retained  his  composure, 
though  he  knew  his  danger  of  being  hanged  as  a 
spy,  should  he  be  recognized  by  the  Confederates 
as  one  who  for  a  time  had  worn  their  uniform.  In 
reply  to  my  question  of  what  he  would  do  in  such 
a  case,  he  said,  — 

''  Dick,  I  never  think  of  it.  When  danger  comes 
it's  time  enough  to  face  it.  I  am  in  God's  hands 
at  all  times.  It  makes  but  little  difference  when 
we  die,  since,  as  Colonel  Gruff  says,  '  We  must  all 
die  once ; '  but  it  does  make  a  difference  if  we  die 
doing  our  duty,  and  with  our  trust  in  God  undis- 
turbed ;  "  and  as  Jed  said  this  his  face  shone  with 
that  inner  light  which  is  the  reflection  of  a  pure 
soul. 

I  thought  then,  as  I  have  often  thought  since, 
"  This  is  the  faith  of  a  Christian,  and  the  courage 
of  a  soldier." 

We  were  kindly  treated  by  our  captors,  as  men 
usually  are  by  those  they  have  been  fighting  against. 

After  wearisome  marching  we  reached  Richmond, 
where  we  remained  but  a  single  day,  and  then, 
without  incident  worthy  of  recital,  were  sent  to 
Lynchburg. 

While  here  there  was  a  little  occurrence  which 
had  so  important  a  bearing  upon  our  prison  life  as 
to  deserve  mention. 


GRANT  TAKES   COMMAND.  285 

During  the  march  I  observed  a  negro  servant  of 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  guard  carrying  an  ordinary 
three-pint  pail. 

"  What  have  you  got  in  that  pail,  Sam  ?  "  I  in- 
quired. 

"  Massa's  dinner,"  replied  the  colored  man. 

''  Let  me  see  it,  will  you?  "  I  asked. 

He  removed  the  cover  and  disclosed  a  tempting 
dish  of  fried  fish  and  buttered  biscuit,  which,  as 
I  was  hungry,  I  at  once  felt  that  I  must  have. 
I  had  a  new  army  overcoat,  which  had  been  a 
decided  encumbrance  to  me  since  my  capture, 
and  this  I  offered  in  exchange  for  the  pail  and 
contents. 

He  glanced  around  to  see  that  no  one  was  look- 
ing, and  then  made  the  trade.  How  he  afterwards 
made  his  peace  with  his  master  I  do  not  know,  but 
the  little  pail  was  so  great  a  convenience  to  me  in 
cooking,  while  I  was  a  prisoner,  that  its  value  could 
not  be  rated  in  money.  Thus  incidents  can  never  be 
said  to  be  insignificant  until  we  know  their  relation 
to  that  wliich  follows. 

While  at  Lynchburg,  Jed  saw  one  or  two  Confed- 
erates whom  he  knew,  but  none  of  them  recognized 
him,  which  may  have  been  due  to  the  fact  that  he 
now  wore  a  mustache  and  beard,  which  he  had  cul- 
tivated since  leaving  their  lines. 

We  were  finally  embarked,  with  several  hundred 
other  prisoners,  on  box-cars,  sixty  or  seventy  men 
to  a  car.     In  five  days  we  arrived  at  Charleston, 


286  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

South  Carolina,  where,  after  being  kept  in  the  jail- 
yard  one  clay  and  night,  we  were  again  put  on  board 
cattle-cars,  and,  two  days  later,  reached  Anderson- 
ville  Station,  Georgia,  thirty-five  miles  south  from 
Macon. 


i;l:iffl|illk:;i!ll!;EI!ll!l!E!!:ll;ll;liilii:ii  1 J  il  111  L J 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ANDERSONVELLE  PRISON. 

/^F  Andersonville  prison  little  was  known  by 
^-^  those  outside  of  it  at  that  period.  It  had  been 
opened  for  the  reception  of  captives  in  February, 
1864,  and  the  first  instalment  of  victims  had  been 
transferred  here  from  Belle  Island  prison  at  that 
time.  We  had,  therefore,  no  conception  of  the 
place  to  which  we  were  to  be  consigned. 

The  prison  was  used  for  enlisted  men  only ;  and 
as  Jed  and  myself  had  not  yet  received  our  com- 
missions, we  still  wore  our  sergeants'  dress,  and  on 
capture  our  rank  was  judged  by  our  uniform.  We 
made  no  protest  against  this,  as  I  thought  Jed  would 
stand  a  better  chance  of  not  being  recognized  among 
a  multitude,  than  among  the  comparatively  few  in 
an  of!icers'  prison,  and  so  it  proved. 

The  rain  was  pouring  in  torrents  when,  on  the 
23d  of  May,  about  sundown,  we  arrived  at  Ander- 
son Station.  We  were  formed  in  single  ranks  on 
the  long  platform  of  the  depot,  and  were  there 
formally  turned  over  to  the  prison  guard. 

A  Confederate  sergeant  in  gray  uniform,  whose 
neck  was  twisted  towards  one  shoulder,  gave  the 
order,  "AH  you  'ns  Yanks  that  can  write,  take 
287 


288  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

one  step  forward."  At  this  order  the  whole  line 
advanced,  for  we  were  mostly  New  England  sol- 
diers ;  and  if  there  were  those  who  could  not  write, 
they  would  not  acknowledge  it. 

Thinking  we  had  misunderstood  him,  the  sergeant 
repeated  the  order,  with  the  same  result. 

A  few  sergeants  were  finally  selected  to  take  the 
names  of  ninety  men  each,  that  number,  for  con- 
venience in  issuing  rations,  composing  a  squad  in 
the  prison.  We  were  marched  east  a  short  dis- 
tance, by  a  road  running  through  a  little  valley 
surrounded  by  thick  pine  woods,  when  there  loomed 
up  before  us,  in  the  moist  atmosphere  and  gather- 
ing darkness,  a  long  line  of  palisade,  the  sight  of 
which  gave  me  a  shiver  of  foreboding  and  dread. 
The  rainfall  and  the  chill  of  evening  oppressed 
me  Avith  gloom. 

While  halted  before  these  walls,  a  little  man  on 
a  horse  rode  up,  and  at  some  remark  from  a  pris- 
oner began  cursing  frightfully,  and  striking,  with 
a  cavalry  sabre,  at  the  prisoners  standing  in  line. 

It  was  Henry  Wirtz,  who  commanded  the  interior 
of  the  prison. 

"  Better  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  old  man," 
said  one  of  the  rebel  guard  suggestively. 

The  gates  before  us  now  swung  inward,  and  we 
were  marched  into  the  prison. 

Many,  oh,  how  many !  never  passed  through 
those  gates  again,  until  they  were  carried  to  the 
graveyard  trenches  beyond. 


ANdersonville  prison:  28d 

Gaunt  creatures,  with  shrunken  forms  and  black- 
ened faces,  clothed  in  cUrty,  ragged  shreds  of  blue, 
thronged  around  us  as  we  entered  the  prison.  The 
impress  of  suffering  and  famine  was  over  all.  Their 
dirt-clotted  countenances,  dishevelled  hair,  half- 
naked  limbs,  and  grotesque  habiliments,  for  a  while 
made  it  impossible  for  us  to  realize  that  they,  like 
ourselves,  were  Union  soldiers.  Exposure  to  rain 
and  sun,  starvation  and  confinement  within  the 
deadly  embrace  of  these  prison  walls,  had  oblite- 
rated almost  all  semblance  of  manhood  from  these 
patriotic  men.  Some  stared  apathetically  at  us,  as 
if  at  visitants  from  another  world,  in  which  they 
no  longer  had  a  part.  From  their  faces  all  hope 
and  cheerfulness  had  faded  out. 

Others  gathered  around  us,  and  in  plaintive, 
tremulous,  but  eager  voices,  inquired  for  news  of 
the  outside  world  from  whence  we  came,  or  invited 
trade.  '^  Where  is  Sherman  ?  "  —  "  What  is  Grant 
doing?"  — "Got  any  hard-tack  or  coffee  to  trade 
for  corn  bread  ?  "  -_  "  Do  you  know  when  we  are  to 
be  exchanged?"  are  samples  of  the  interrogations 
which  came  from  faltering  lips.  The  last  question 
was  the  most  common  one.  This,  coming  from 
wretched  men,  hollow-eyed,  famine-pinched,  and 
with  scurvied,  swollen  faces,  blue  and  trembling 
with  cold,  dampness,  and  the  weakness  of  famine, 
made  the  questionings  almost  an  appeal. 

Though  this  scene  brought  a  shiver  of  creeping 
horror  over  many  a  man  among  us  accustomed  to 


290  JEb'S  ADVENfUMS. 

face  death  in  battle,  yet  we  but  feebly  compre* 
hended  its  full  import  then. 

A  revolting  stench  filled  the  moist  atmosphere. 
Our  feet  mired  into  a  wallow  of  excrements  at  every 
step.  We  constantly  stumbled  on  squalid  huts 
scarcely  high  enough  to  creep  under.  These  were 
made  of  blankets,  shirts,  shreds  of  clothing,  or  were 
built  up  with  mud  and  roofed  with  brush  or  twigs 
of  pine. 

Coming  from  ordinary  scenes  of  war,  this  prison, 
by  contrast,  was  so  horrible  as  to  seem  to  be  the 
very  jaws  of  death  and  the  gates  of  hell.  Within 
its  deadly  maw  all  semblance  of  humanity  was 
crushed. 

It  appeared  impossible  that  human  beings  could 
exist  in  such  a  place.  Our  feet  sunk  in  filth  at 
every  step.  We  were  conducted  across  a  creek, 
seemingly  running  with  excrement  instead  of 
water,  which  crept  like  a  slimy,  venomous  serpent 
through  the  centre  of  the  prison. 

The  side  hill  beyond,  we  were  told,  was  to  be 
our  quarters.  But  where?  The  whole  hillside 
was  so  crowded  with  huts,  and  human  forms  lying 
on  the  muddy  ground,  that  at  a  first  glance  there 
appeared  to  be  no  room  for  us.  It  was  only  by 
scattering  in  groups  of  two  and  three  at  different 
points  that  we  finally  found  the  needed  space  to 
spread  our  blankets. 

The  ground  selected  by  Jed,  Sonny,  and  myself 
for  our  lodging-place  was  filthy  beyond  belief ;  but 


ANDERSONVILLE  PRISON.  291 

we  were  too  tired  to  find  better,  and  it  was  already 
too  dark  to  remedy  matters,  even  if  there  were 
better  accommodations  elsewhere. 

Sadly  thinking  of  my  far-off  Northern  home  and 
friends,  and  of  the  terrible  contrasts  here,  I  fell  into 
a  troubled  sleep. 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  when  I  was  awak- 
ened by  men  stumbling  against  me.  As  I  arose  to 
my  feet  the  daylight  revealed,  for  the  first  time, 
the  whole  prison  area  to  my  sight.  In  form  the 
enclosure  of  stockade  was  a  parallelogram,  shown 
by  after  measurements  to  be  ten  hundred  and  ten 
feet  in  length,  and  seven  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
feet  six  inches  wide.  The  sides  of  this  parallelo- 
gram ran  north  and  south.  It  enclosed  two  oppo- 
site hillsides,  and  the  valleys  and  plateaus  back  of 
them. 

Near  the  centre,  running  from  east  to  west,  was 
the  brook,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  width,  of  which 
mention  has  before  been  made.  On  each  side  of 
this  creek  was  a  swampy  marsh  reaching  to  the  foot 
of  both  the  north  and  south  hillsides. 

There  were  two  gates,  both  on  the  east  line  of 
the  stockade,  one  on  the  plateau  of  the  north  hill- 
side, the  other  the  south.  The  stockade  was  built 
of  pine  logs  set  upright  in  the  ground,  scored  slight- 
ly on  the  sides,  so  as  to  fit  them  closely  together. 
These  were  firmly  held  together  by  means  of  a  plank 
or  slab,  spiked  on  the  outside  and  across  the  face  of 
the  logs  near  the  top. 


292  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Sentry  boxes,  tlnrty-five  in  number,  were  scaf- 
folded outside,  close  up  to  tKe  stockade,  so  that  the 
guard  could  overlook  the  area  within.  The  little 
platform  on  which  the  guard  were  stationed  came 
within  four  feet  of  the  to23  of  the  stockade,  and  was 
reached  by  a  ladder  from  the  outside.  These  guards 
were  protected  from  rain  and  sun  by  a  shed  roof, 
five  feet  above,  and  sloping  from,  the  stockade. 

No  vegetation  was  in  this  pen.  The  dense  growth 
of  pines  formerly  covering  the  ground  had  been 
cleared  away  when  the  stockade  Avas  built. 

As  I  went  down  the  hill  to  wash  myself  at  the 
brook,  I  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  little  railing  three 
feet  high,  running  eighteen  feet  from,  and  parallel 
with,  the  stockade,  inside  and  all  around  it.  It 
was  made  by  nailing  a  strip  of  board  about  three 
inches  wide  to  the  top  of  posts  set  firmly  in  the 
ground. 

''What  is  that  for?"  I  asked  an  old  prisoner. 

"You'd  better  keep  away  from  it  if  you  don't 
want  to  get  shot,"  he  replied.  "  That's  the  dead 
line.  I  saw  one  of  the  guard  shoot  one  of  our  old 
men,  the  other  day,  while  he  was  reaching  over  to 
pick  up  a  weed  which  was  growing  inside." 

''What  did  he  want  of  the  weed?"  I  inquired 
wonderingly. 

"  Don't  know.  Guess  he  wanted  it  to  eat ;  good 
for  scurvy,"  was  the  reply. 

On  every  side  strange  and  terrible  sights  greeted 
me.     Men  were  cooking  at  little  fires  scarcely  large 


ANDERSONVILLE  PRISON.  253 

enough  to  make  a  blaze.  Dead  men,  with  unclosed 
eyes,  lay  in  the  path  by  the  side  of  the  little  huts. 

Sick  men  with  scurvied,  bloated  limbs  were 
endeavoring  to  eat  while  their  teeth  almost  dropped 
from  their  jaws.  Wounded  men,  with  festering, 
unhealed  wounds,  were  lying  with  naked  limbs, 
and  with  hair  matted  in  the  filth  of  their  sur- 
roundings. 

With  inarticulate,  piteous  whines,  they  looked 
with  their  lustreless  eyes  or  reached  out  their 
withered,  feeble  hands  in  mute  a2:)peal  for  help. 
The}'  were  covered  with  vermin  and  maggots. 
God  in  heaven  I  What  horrors  greeted  every 
step. 

Finally,  after  trying  to  assist  creatures  to  whom 
no  relief  could  come  but  death,  I  reached,  through 
festering  corruption  and  filth,  the  brook  of  water 
near  the  east  side,  bridged  by  tw^o  logs.  The 
water  was  putrid  with  fecal  matter,  running  from 
the  marsh.  Where  the  brook  crossed  the  dead 
line  and  sluggishly  passed  out  under  the  hindering 
stockade,  it  was  comparatively  clear.  Here  the 
dead  line  was  undefined. 

"  Many  a  poor  creature  reaching  for  clear 
water,"  said  an  old  prisoner,  "  has  been  killed  at 
this  spot,  by  a  bullet  from  the  guard." 

I  reached  down  from  the  logs,  and,  filling  my 
canteen,  took  a  drink.  The  water  w^as  tepid  and 
had  a  boggy  taste  ;  it  was  covered  w^ith  a  greasy 
scum,  which,  it  was  said,  came  from  the  cook-house 


294  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

on  the  margin  of  the  branch,  and  just  outside  the 
prison  limits. 

The  sinks  of  the  rebel  guard  were  above  on  the 
stream,  and  their  filth  came  into  the  brook  for 
prisoners  to  drink. 

After  washing  myself  I  attempted  to  make  a 
shorter  cut  through  the  marsh  to  the  hillside.  '  Its 
passage  was  impossible  ,•  or  in  my  repugnance  to 
the  filth  in  which  my  feet  deeply  mired,  I  felt  it  to 
be  so. 

The  prisoners  had  used  the  marsh  for  sinks. 
Here  had  accumulated  tlie  terrible  filth  of  the 
prison,  mixed  Avith  the  soil  by  the  trampling  of 
many  feet.  The  whole  was  a  mass  of  festering 
corruption. 

The  area  of  the  quagmire  was  originally  a  boggy 
swamp,  ^jartially  covered  by  stagnant  water,  over 
which  gathered  a  green,  unhealthy  scum.  It  was 
now  infested  to  the  depth  of  twelve  to  thirty-six 
inches  by  writhing  maggots,  bred  from  this  filth,  as 
there  was  no  drainage  from  this  camp  of  twenty 
thousand  men.  The  stench  which  arose  from 
this  marsh  had  in  it  alone  the  seeds  of  a 
pestilence. 

This  is  but  a  faint  general  picture  of  the  scenes 
which  met  our  gaze  that  morning. 

I  returned  to  my  comrades  by  the  beaten  path, 
refreshed  by  my  bath,  notwithstanding  all  the 
horrors  I  had  encountered. 

That  day  Jed,  Sonny,  and  I  formed  a  mess  pre- 


ANbERSONVtLLE  PRISOJ^.  295 

paratory  to  building  a  hut,  and  making  the  best  of 
our  surroundings. 

We  had  had  no  food  since  the  day  previous,  and 
were  very  hungry.  One  of  my  comrades  bought  a 
johnny-cake  of  one  of  the  prisoners,  and  from  it 
four  of  us  made  a  breakfast.  It  was  poorly  cooked, 
and  might  be  described  as  stuck  together  with 
water  and  a  slight  heat.  But  hunger  is  a  good 
substitute  for  nice  cooking,  and  we  ate  it  greedily, 
notwithstanding  the  miscellaneous  filth  we  found 
in  it. 

We  now  set  to  work  to  construct  a  hut  to  pro- 
tect ourselves  from  the  rain  and  sun.  In  this  we 
were  very  fortunate,  as  we  possessed  four  woollen 
blankets  and  one  of  rubber. 

For  some  reason  our  party  had  not  been  searched 
for  valuables  or  robbed  of  their  blankets,  as  was 
commonly  the  case  with  those  who  came  into  the 
prison.  It  is  doubtful  if  three  men  in  the  entire 
prison  could  be  found  so  well  provided  as  we 
were. 

Two  were  appointed  to  prepare  the  ground  for 
our  habitation  while  Jed  went  in  search  of  some 
sticks  to  make  a  framework  for  the  hut.  After  a 
persistent  search  he  finally  bought  a  handful  of 
sticks,  for  which  he  had  paid  two  dollars  in  green- 
backs, from  one  of  the  prisoners. 

The  ground  was  levelled  by  digging  into  the 
side  hill,  and  the  clean  soil  from  beneath  replaced 
the  filthy  surface  soil.     This  we  tramped  hard  and 


2S6  JED'S  ADVENTUkE^. 

level.  The  embankment  made  by  the  cut  in  the 
hillside  was  smoothed  and  sloped  slightly  back. 
Two  pieces  of  stick  were  set  firmly  in  the  ground 
at  each  end  of  the  level  space,  and  across  these 
was  lashed  another  for  a  ridge-pole.  Two  other 
sticks,  lower  tlian  the  ridge-j^ole,  with  a  stick 
across  fastened  like  it,  Avere  set  for  the  front.  Two 
of  our  best  blankets  wei'e  then  pinned  together 
with  wooden  pins,  and  over  this  framework  the 
blankets  were  stretched,  and  pinned  down  to  the 
embankment  in  the  rear  and  at  the  sides  by  means 
of  small  sharp  stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  The 
other  side  was  then  fastened  to  the  lower  ridge- 
pole for  the  front. 

We  now  had  two  blankets  to  sleep  on,  and  the 
poncho  blanket  mentioned,  and  which  in  case  of 
need  might  be  hung  up  in  front  to  protect  us  from 
rain. 

Such  was  the  habitation  that  excited  the  envy 
of  our  more  miserable  comrades. 

During  the  day  we  bought  some  Indian  meal  and 
cooked  some  mush  in  my  little  tin  pail,  for  it  was 
not  until  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  that  rations 
were  issued  to  us. 

While  engaged  in  cooking,  an  old  prisoner,  see- 
ing my  little  tin  pail,  said,  — 

"  If  you  want  to  sell  that  tin  bucket,  young  feller, 
I'll  give  you  three  dollars  in  greenbacks  and  a 
piece  of  johnny-cake  for  it." 

I  declined  to  trade,  whereupon  he  said,  — 


ANDERSONVILLE  PRISON.  297 

"  Your  head  is  level,  young  feller.  Whatever 
else  you  sell,  don't  part  with  tliat  tin  bucket  or 
your  blanket.  It  will  be  worth  more  to  you  than 
a  hundred  dollars,  for  you'll  stand  some  chance  to 
live  here  if  you  hold  on  to  them." 

I  thought  at  the  time  that  his  estimation  of  the 
value  of  the  things  was  exaggerated,  but  it  proved 
to  be  a  just  one,  as  shown  by  my  subsequent  expe- 
rience. 

It  began  raining  that  afternoon  in  a  steady,  per- 
sistent manner,  and  continued  with  but  little  inter- 
ruption during  the  remainder  of  the  month. 

About  four  o'clock  on  that  first  day  we  had 
rations  issued  to  us  of  Indian  meal,  which  had, 
however,  a  preponderance  of  cob  in  its  composi- 
tion; also  a  few  small  beans  or  cow  peas.  The 
ration  of  Indian  meal  was  equal  to  about  an  ordi- 
nary teacupful  to  each  man,  and  the  beans  could 
be  held  in  the  half-closed  palm  of  the  hand. 

Such  was  our  introduction  to  the  living  death  of 
Andersonville,  and  thus  it  was  that  we  settled  down 
to  the  common  life  of  prisoners.  As  bitter  and 
terrible  as  was  the  opening  scene  described,  it 
afterwards  became  inexpressibly  worse,  month  by 
month,  during  our  stay  there. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LIFE  AND   DEATH   IN  PRISON. 

/^UR  hut  was  very  comfortable,  and  it  was  for- 
^-^  tunate  for  us  that  it  was  so,  for  during  the 
succeeding  month,  rain  fell  persistently  for  twenty- 
three  days.  This,  to  men  comfortably  housed  and 
fed,  would  not  have  caused  great  suffering,  but  to 
the  squalid  inmates  of  Andersonville  it  was  prolific 
of  disease,  suffering,  and  death. 

The  great  mass  of  prisoners  had  no  shelter  ex- 
cept such  as  they  had  made  of  their  scanty  gar- 
ments or  blankets ;  while  large  numbers,  especially 
of  those  newly  arrived,  had  none  at  all.  This 
crowd  of  men  was  also  nearly  destitute  of  fuel  for 
cooking,  and  of  cooking  utensils. 

The  difficulty  of  preparing  their  rations  (even 
when  they  had  food)  during  this  rainfall,  together 
with  the  cold  and  discomfort  and  filth  produced 
thereby,  had  a  depressing  effect,  which  strong  men 
could  scarcely  resist. 

The  last  day  of  June  there  were  twenty  thousand 
suffering  men  within  the  deadly  embrace  of  these 
prison  walls,  where  all  finer  sensibilities  were 
crushed  in  the  struggle  for  life. 

The  absence  of  soap,  together  with  the  soot  from 
298 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON  299 

fires  made  of  pitch-pine  roots  or  branches,  soon  be- 
grimed our  faces  almost  beyond  recognition.  Wash- 
ing without  soap  simply  distributed  and  rubbed  in 
the  grime,  so,  to  one  not  used  to  the  sight,  we  ap- 
peared to  be  black  men.  Habit,  however,  so  accus- 
tomed us  to  these  disfigurements  that  they  were 
scarcely  perceivable  to  ourselves. 

Among  these  scenes  Jed's  high  courage  and  al- 
most womanly  sympathy  sustained  and  encouraged 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

From  our  arrival  in  prison  we  had  mingled  but 
little  with  other  prisoners,  and  had  attempted  to 
keep  scrupulously  clean. 

Like  most  captives,  we  had  only  the  clothing  v/e 
had  worn  into  the  prison,  and  an  attempt  to  wash 
these  garments  without  soap  destroyed  without 
cleansing  them.  We  therefore  abandoned  all  idea 
of  washing  our  clothes,  and  only  practised  daily 
bathing  our  persons  at  the  brook. 

One  day,  thinking  to  make  a  shorter  cut  to  the 
stream,  we  came  to  the  bottom  of  the  north  hillside, 
where,  in  an  attempt  to  cover  the  pestilential  filth, 
the  quagmire  had  been  filled  in  with  soil  excavated 
from  the  hill.  In  this  way  an  area  of  a  hundred 
square  feet  or  more  had  been  made  habitable.  Here 
the  prisoners  had  begun  to  erect  little  huts  with 
sides  built  of  mud,  and  other  shelter. 

We  found  its  unoccupied  portions  crowded  with 
dead  and  dying  men,  some  lying  with  naked  limbs 
swollen  and  black  with  scurvy,  others  with  hair 


300  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

matted  in  the  surrounding  filth,  unable  because  of 
weakness  to  escaxoe.  They  had  come  hither,  and 
had  been  unable  to  return.  Some,  too  feeble  to 
articulate,  held  out  their  wasted  hands  with  feeble 
cries  for  help,  looked  at  us  appealingly  with  their 
lustreless  eyes,  or  pointed  to  their  trembling,  blood- 
less lips,  in  mute  entreaty  for  water  or  food. 

We  stopped  and  tried  to  help  them,  gave  them 
water,  and  attempted  to  wash  the  filth  from  their 
persons.  Some  of  these  poor  creatures  had  fester- 
ing sores,  in  which  were  gathered  maggots  and 
vermin. 

Jed  said  but  little,  but  tears  ran  down  his  face, 
and  his  utterances  were  choked  by  sobs  as  he  tried 
to  speak  words  of  comfort  to  those  to  whom  no 
comfort  could  come.  We  could  give  them  no  food, 
for  which  there  was  a  common  appeal :  we  had  none. 

Our  sympathies  were  so  aroused  by  the  i^itiable 
condition  of  these  men,  that  their  anguish  seemed 
more  than  we  could  bear.  We  had  not  then  learned 
the  terrible  truth,  —  that  here  we  must  resolutely 
close  the  avenues  of  human  sympathy,  or  quickly 
be  exterminated  by  its  re-action  on  ourselves. 

The  best  pliilosophy  was  to  do  all  possible  for 
suffering  comrades,  keeping  in  mind  the  fact  that 
one  could  not  really  help  them  with  sympathy.  A 
harsh  sentiment,  but  the  only  one  to  adopt  by  such 
as  did  not  care  to  become  in  turn  an  object  of  pity, 
or  to  be  crowded  out  of  existence  by  the  pressure 
of  attendant  miseries. 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON  301 

The  mental  is  to  the  physical,  in  such  scenes,  as 
three  to  one.  That  man  who  could  direct  the  con- 
dition of  his  mind  by  force  of  will,  and  not  leave  it 
to  be  the  plaything  of  circumstances,  survived  these 
long  and  agonizing  imprisonments  ,  for  minds  that 
are  controlled  by  will  are  often  superior  to  the 
simple  wants  of  the  body. 

While  engaged  in  trying  to  relieve  these  poor 
creatures,  we  came  upon  a  middle-aged  man  lying 
in  the  filth.  After  we  had  washed  his  face  and 
hands  there  was  a  look  on  liis  face,  or  an  expression 
in  his  eyes,  that  reminded  me  of  some  one  I  had 
known.  I  tried  in  vain  to  recall  where  I  had  seen 
him  before.  We  helped  him  to  his  feet,  and  in 
answer  to  our  question  of  where  his  friends  were, 
he  told  us  that  he  had  no  acquaintances  in  the 
prison. 

This  was  not  an  isolated  case.  There  were  many 
such. 

"  Why  not  take  him  in  with  us  ?  "  said  Jed. 
"  We've  got  room  for  another  in  our  '  shebang.'  " 

I  Avas  about  to  resist  this,  but  the  appealing  and 
familiar  look  on  the  face  of  the  man  we  had  rescued, 
decided  me  to  do  as  Jed  suggested. 

"If  Joe  Mayo" — Sonny's  real  name — "don't 
object,  we'll  take  him  into  our  mess,"  I  replied. 
So  Robinson,  for  thus  he  called  himself,  became  an 
inmate  of  our  hut,  and  with  Iris  new  surroundings 
gradually  gained  strength. 

At  the  time  of  our  coming  into  the  prison  there 


302  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

were  about  fifteen  thousand  men  there,  but  into 
this  crowded  tlieatre  of  deatli  there  flowed  a  con- 
stant procession  of  new  victims  from  the  battle- 
fields of  Grant's  and  Sherman's  armies.  They 
brought  into  the  prison  the  buoyancy  of  hope  and 
youth ;  they  soon  became  sick  and  squalid,  hope- 
less and  idiotic,  or  were  destroyed  by  the  intense 
cruelty  of  their  prison  life.  The  stockade  seemed 
to  take  on  personality.  Like  the  vision  the  great 
Florentine  saw, 

*'  It  seemed  as  if  'gainst  me  it  were  coming, 
With  head  uplifted  and  with  ravenous  hunger 
So  that  the  very  air  was  made  afraid." 

Its  gates  poured  out  a  constant  stream  of  death, 
met  by  an  incoming  tide  of  living  victims. 

In  July,  2,204  prisoners  died  ;  in  August,  3,081. 
Scurvy,  diarrhoea,  and  every  disease  caused  by 
starvation  and  overcrowding,  intensified  its  horrors 
and  increased  the  death  rates. 

Yet  starvation,  singular  as  the  statement  may 
seem,  decreased  as  well  as  increased  the  prison 
death  rates.  Fevers  could  not  take  hold  of  men 
destitute  of  fatty  tissues,  and  had  the  prisoners 
been  well  fed  while  in  its  crowded  condition,  fever 
would  have  swept  the  prison  like  the  simoon  of 
the  desert. 

In  July  the  density  of  human  life  inside  the 
stockade  was  so  great  that,  after  taking  out  the 
dead  line  and  the  quagmire,  there  was  left  only 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON.  303 

about  fifteen  square  feet  of  space  to  each  person. 
This  would  be  a  ratio  of  density  equivalent  to  six 
millions  of  people  to  the  square  mile. 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  the  death  rates 
of  a  city  are  in  a  direct  ratio  with  the  density  of 
its  population,  and  hence  the  terrible  mortality  at 
Andersonville.  Want  of  proper  and  sufficient 
food,  and  want  of  shelter  from  rain  and  sun,  added 
to  this  mortality. 

On  our  arrival  we  had  some  money,  with  which 
we  bought  wood  of  prisoners  who  had  procured  it 
for  sale  in  various  ways.  The  scarcity  of  wood, 
and  the  way  in  which  it  was  sometimes  procured, 
is  illustrated  by  the  following  incident. 

I  was  on  my  way  to  the  brook  with  Joe,  to  get 
water,  and  at  the  same  time  was  on  the  lookout 
for  wood  at  a  reasonable  price.  As  I  went  down 
the  little  path  that  led  to  the  brook,  we  came  upon 
a  prisoner  named  John  Moran,  whose  acquaintance 
I  had  previously  made,  sitting  patiently  beside  a 
dead  comrade. 

"  This  is  one  of  my  chums  who  died  last  night," 
he  explained.  "  I've  tried  to  be  kind  to  poor  Bob, 
for  he  was  a  good,  brave  fellow ;  you  can't  do 
much  for  a  chum  here,  though.  This  boy  and  I 
have  fought  and  marched  and  been  prisoners 
together,  and  now  the  poor  fellow  is  dead." 

Observing  near  him  a  pile  of  pine  branches  I 
inquired,  — 

"  Don't  you  want  to  sell  some  of  your  wood  ?  " 


304  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

"  Tain't  mine,  it's  my  chum's,"  he  replied. 

"  Where  did  you  get  it? " 

"  Swapped  off  a  dead  man  for  it."  Seeing  my 
puzzled  look  he  explained,  — 

"  When  one  of  our  boys  gets  sick  we  take  as 
good  care  of  him  as  we  can ,  but  after  he  is  dead, 
we  keep  a  sharp  lookout  to  see  that  no  one  steals 
him  to  carry  him  outside  to  the  dead-house.  You 
see,  old  chap,  if  we  didn't  keep  our  eyes  peeled, 
some  other  fellers  around  here  would  grab  our 
dead  man  and  swap  him  off  for  a  wood-pile." 

Sonny  gave  a  prolonged  and  characteristic 
whistle,  while  my  astonished  look  led  to  a  further 
explanation. 

"  Why,  don't  you  understand  ?  me  and  my  chum 
are  going  to  carry  this  man  in  our  blanket  to  the 
dead-house,  just  outside  the  gate,  and  when  we  are 
returning  we  can  pick  up  enough  wood  to  last  a 
month.  Why,  that  dead  man  is  worth  a  ten-dol- 
lar bill  to  me." 

I  soon  found  out  the  truth  of  this  statement ; 
and  it  was  seldom  that  a  prisoner  was  fastidious 
enough  to  lose  the  "  wood-pile,"  represented  by  a 
dead  comrade,  for  mere  sentiment.  Meanw^hile, 
dry  wood  littered  the  ground  outside  the  palisade, 
and  a  pine  forest  was  within  a  few  rods  of  the 
prison. 

I  had  often  noticed,  as  in  this  case,  a  small  j^iece 
of  brown  paper  pinned  upon  the  breast  of  the  dead 
man,  with  his  name,  company,  regiment,   State, 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON.  805 

and  date  of  death  written  upon  it.  I  inquired  who 
placed  it  there. 

''  The  sergeant  of  a  squad,"  was  the  reply,  "  is 
supposed  to  attend  to  that.  He  gets  an  extra 
ration  for  labelling  the  dead  and  dealing  out  the 
grub ;  but  if  we  didn't  do  it  ourselves,  like's  not, 
he'd  claim  our  dead  man." 

The  scene  will,  at  a  first  glance,  impress  the 
reader  as  unfeeling  and  brutal ;  and  yet  this  man 
was  brave  and  generous,  as  the  reader  will  hereafter 
learn.  Death  was  so  common,  and  often  so  happy 
a  release  from  suffering,  the  struggle  for  life  was  so 
intense,  that  death  lost  its  sacredness,  and  the 
kindliest  of  comrades  did  not  neglect  to  help  him- 
self in  this  manner. 

It  was  common  to  see  a  man  caring  for  a  dying 
comrade  with  great  tenderness,  and  with  an  admi- 
rable sacrifice  of  his  own  wants,  and  then  show 
fight  if  any  one  attempted,  after  death,  to  cheat 
him  out  of  his  right  to  carry  the  corpse  to  the 
dead-house. 

Jed  was  soon  elected  sergeant  of  our  squad  of 
ninety  men.  It  was  one  of  the  duties  of  this  officer 
to  draw  rations  and  distribute  them  to  his  squad. 

Our  food  was  so  meagre  that  men  were  queru- 
lous over  its  distribution,  and  it  was  therefore 
needful  that  the  person  who  drew  and  •distributed 
the  rations  should  have  the  confidence  of  the  men 
to  whom  they  were  issued.  Jed's  mingled  firmness 
and  good  nature,  with  the  confidence  men  instinc- 


306  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

tively  had  in  his  goodness,  made   this  selection  a 
judicious  one. 

The  sergeant  of  a  squad  was  entitled  to  an  extra 
ration,  but  this  Jed  never  took.  The  squads  of 
ninety  were  also  divided  into  smaller  squads  of 
ten  or  fifteen  for  convenience  in  dividing  rations. 
The  new  prisoners  coming  into  the  stockade  were 
put  into  the  old  detachments,  which  in  this  way 
were  kept  full. 

The  teams  with  rations  usually  came  in  at  the 
north  gate.  These  rations  consisted  of  Indian  meal 
and  sometimes  of  sides  of  bacon.  As  a  whole 
there  was  a  large  quantity,  but  when  subdivided 
among  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  men  it  gave  to 
each  one  but  a  small  quantity. 

Shortly  after  Jed's  appointment  I  attended  the 
drawing  of  rations  at  the  main  or  northern  gate. 
The  rations  were  brought  in  large  wagons  drawn  by 
mules,  driven  by  colored  men,  and  superintended, 
in  some  cases,  by  prisoners  detailed  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

A  street  or  path  to  which  was  given  the  name 
of  Broadway,  led  from  the  gate  through  the  stock- 
ade from  east  to  west.  Here,  at  ration  time,  was 
gathered  a  motley  crowd.  With  eager,  hungry 
eyes  they  watched  each  division  of  the  food,  the 
sight  of  which  seemed  to  have  a  strange  fascination 
for  the  hungry  wretches,  long  unused  to  full 
stomachs.  They  crowded  to  the  wagons  to  get  a 
sight  of  each  bag  of  meal  or  piece  of  meat. 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON,  307 

The  attempt  to  grasp  a  morsel  which  sometimes 
fell  from  the  wagon,  the  j^iteous  expression  of  dis- 
appointment on  their  pinched  and  unwashed  faces 
if  they  failed,  the  involuntary  exclamations,  and 
the  wistful,  hungry  look,  had  in  it  a  pathos  not 
easily  described. 

I  once  remarked  to  Jed  that  I  thought  it  singu- 
lar that  men  should  aggravate  themselves  by  con- 
stantly looking  at  food  which  they  could  not  get 
to  eat. 

"  God  help  them  !  "  said  Jack  Moran,  who  was 
standing  near,  ''  it  means  life  or  death  to  them  and 
to  us  all." 

Jack,  of  whom  I  have  before  made  mention,  was 
a  large  man,  thin  and  somewhat  bent,  though  not 
by  age.  His  head,  on  which  bristled  coarse  black 
hair,  was  large,  his  forehead  broad  and  knotty,  and 
his  mouth  square  cut.  There  was  in  his  face  and 
manner  an  indescribable  something  which  showed 
nerve,  will,  and  endurance. 

While  there  was  nothing  in  his  dress  to  betoken 
it,  there  was  that  in  his  manner  which  led  me  to 
believe  that  he  had  been  a  sailor. 

"  This  food,"  said  he,  ''  draws  men  as  money 
does  on  'change.  It's  like  a  magnet  to  them. 
Look  at  that  swarm  of  flies  and  gnats  on  the  food : 
they  are  bred  from  the  festering  marsh  below. 
We  couldn't  eat  such  food  but  for  our  terrible 
famine.  Most  of  the  men  here  seem  to  have  but 
two  ideas,  —  patriotism  and  hunger.     You  would 


808  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

think  that  any  of  these  men  would  accept  of  an 
offer  to  go  out  and  work  at  their  trades  for  the 
sake  of  food,  but  they  won't  do  it.  Hungry  as 
they  look,  patriotism  seems  here  to  have  survived 
even  a  sense  of  decency.  A  few  days  ago  I  saw 
men  like  these  mob  a  Confederate  officer,  who 
came  in  to  get  shoemakers.  He  offered  them  food, 
rations  of  tobacco,  clothes,  and  shelter.  They 
wouldn't  go." 

After  the  drawing  of  rations,  a  dense  throng  of 
prisoners  always  gathered  near  the  north  gate  to 
trade.  One  with  tobacco  cut  in  little  bits  not 
larger  than  dice  might  be  seen  trying  to  trade  it 
for  rations.  Another  could  be  heard  crying  out, 
"  Who  will  trade  a  sou^)  bone  for  Indian  meal  ?  " 
"  Who'll  trade  cooked  rations  for  raw?  "  "  Who'll 
trade  beans  for  wood?"  While  others  with  small 
pieces  of  dirty  bacon  an  inch  or  two  in  size,  held 
on  a  sharpened  stick,  would  diive  a  sharp  trade 
with  some  one  whose  mouth  was  watering  for  its 
possession.  But  for  its  misery,  the  scene  would 
often  have  been  intensely  comical. 

The  dirty  faces,  anxious  looks,  and  grotesque 
garments  (old  prisoners  sometimes  wearing  noth- 
ing but  a  pair  of  drawers)  and  the  loud  cries,  so 
much  in  contrast  with  the  usual  value  of  the  arti- 
cle offered,  had  a  humorous  side  not  hard  to  appre- 
ciate even  by  men  as  miserable  as  themselves. 
The  struggles  of  these  thousands,  all  striving  to 
better  their  condition    by  barter  and  trade,   was 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON.  309 

pathetic.  How  each  hetterecl  his  condition  by  the 
process  of  trade  I  could  never  learn. 

"  I  usually  eat  what  food  I  get  as  soon  as  I  can 
cook  it,"  said  Moran,  "  for  if  I  attempt  to  divide 
it  into  three  meals,  I  suffer  constantly  from  the 
fear  that  I  may  lose  it.  The  simplest  way  is  to 
eat  all  you  get  at  once  and  so  save  yourself  further 
worry  and  aggravation." 

I  found  this  good  philosophy,  for  if  a  prisoner 
ate  his  entire  day's  rations  at  once,  he  did  not 
have  too  large  a  meal,  as  no  one  ever  got  enough 
at  any  one  time  to  satisfy  hunger.  And  while 
very  few  instances  were  known  of  prisoners  steal- 
ing food  from  acquaintances,  there  were  many  half- 
demented,  wandering  tatterdemalions,  who  might 
chance  to  come  upon  an  unguarded  ration,  and  eat 
it  in  the  most  innocent  and  absent-minded  manner 
before  its  owner  could  rescue  it. 

"Moran's  remedy,"  as  Jed  called  it,  was  the 
only  real  security  for  an  unconsumed  ration. 
That  there  was  good  in  the  method,  was  shown  by 
the  fact  that  Jed  and  myself,  who  adopted  the 
"remedy,"  retained  our  strength  better  than  the 
majority  of  prisoners. 

Joe  Mayo,  or  as  we  have  more  often  called  him, 
"  Sonny,"  suffered  from  perpetual  hunger. 

"  I'm  tightening  my  belt  every  day,"  said  Joe. 
"Heaven  knows  when  I  shall  come  together  in 
fatal  collapse.  I  tell  yer,  fellers,  we've  got  to  go 
into  some  kind  of  business.     There's  Jack  Moran, 


810  JED'S  ADVJENTUllES. 

he  sells  '  sour  beer,'  with  a  little  'lasses  and 
ginger  in  it.  I'm  goin'  into  somethin'  to  fill 
up  on." 

Here,  it  is  needless  to  say.  Sonny  expressed  a 
thought  that  Jed  and  I  had  discussed  many  times. 
We  had  not  long  been  prisoners  before  we  discov- 
ered that  men  here,  as  in  other  conditions  in  life, 
in  order  to  "  get  on,"  and  preserve  life,  must  adopt 
some  trade  or  business.  This  necessity  made  men 
ingenious.  Some  set  up  as  bakers,  and  bought 
flour  and  baked  biscuits  which  they  sold  to  such 
as  had  money  to  buy.  The  ovens  which  were 
built  showed  such  ingenuity  as  to  extort  expres- 
sions of  surprise  from  the  Confederates  who  occa- 
sionally visited  us.  The  soil  contained  a  red  pre- 
cipitate of  iron  which  was  very  adhesive.  This 
was  made  into  rude  bricks  by  mixing  the  earth 
with  water,  and  the  oven  was  built  of  these  over  a 
mould  of  sand.  After  being  left  to  harden  in  the 
sun  for  a  few  days  the  sand  was  removed,  a  fire 
was  kindled,  and  the  oven  was  ready  for  use. 

Others  made  wooden  buckets  to  hold  water,  whit- 
tling out  the  staves  and  making  the  hoops  with  a 
jack-knife.  Others  purchased  (of  outside  parties) 
sheet  tin,  generally  taken  from  the  roofs  of  railway 
cars,  and  with  a  railway  spike  and  a  stone  for  tools, 
made  small  camp  kettles,  without  solder,  by  bend- 
ing the  pieces  ingeniously  together.  These  were 
eagerly  purchased  by  those  who  had  money.  As 
no  cooking  utensils  were  possessed  by  the  prisoners, 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON.  Bll 

except  such  as  they  had  brought  into  prison  with 
them,  these  tinmen  were  benefactors. 

Others  tinkered  broken-down  watches,  the  object 
of  their  owners  being  simply  to  make  them  "  go  "  long 
enough  to  effect  a  trade.  The  purchaser  was  usually 
a  Confederate,  who  found  these  watch  owners  easier 
to  interview  before  the  trade  than  afterwards,  when 
he  desired  to  bring  them  to  an  account  for  selling 
watches  that  refused  to  go  unless  carried  by  the 
purchaser. 

Others  fried  flap-jacks  of  Indian  meal,  and  sold 
them  hot  from  the  griddle  for  ten  cents  each. 
Among  the  professional  men  were  brewers,  who 
vended  around  the  camp,  beer  made  of  Indian  meal 
soured  in  water.  This  was  sold  for  vinegar,  and 
proclaimed  by  the  venders  to  be  a  cure  for  scurvy 
and  diarrhoea,  but  was  principally  used  as  a  refresh- 
ing drink. 

Moran  had  added  ginger  and  molasses  to  the 
compound,  and  made,  as  he  termed  his  success,  a 
"  boom  "  by  vending  it.  He  became  so  rich  as  to 
buy  food,  and  so  regained  his  health  and  strength. 

Another  occupation  was  cooking  beans,  and  also 
mush,  and  selling  them.  Broadway,  near  the  gate, 
was  the  scene  of  most  of  the  trading  done  in  camp. 

Here  also  could  be  seen  gamblers  with  dirty 
"sweat  boards,"  on  which  could  be  staked  five  or 
ten  cents.  The  eager  throng  which  pressed  around 
the  anxious,  hungry  vender  of  cooked  beans  was 
duplicated  often  at  the  gamblers'  board. 


812  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

Shortly  after  the  foregoing  conversation  about 
going  into  business,  Joe  absented  himself  from  our 
quarters  most  of  the  time,  except  at  rations,  for 
several  days.  We  noticed  that  he  had  cut  the  but- 
tons off  liis  coat,  and  also  that  a  watch-chain  was 
missing  from  his  visible  possessions.  On  noticing 
these  symptoms  Jed  said,  "  Joe  has  gone  into  busi- 
ness, I  guess."     And  so  it  proved. 

I  was  on  Broadway  to  assist  Jed  in  drawing  the 
squad  rations,  when  we  heard  some  one  roaring 
out,  "  Stewed  beans  with  vinegar  on  tew  'em." 

Now  vinegar  was  a  much  desired  article  among 
scurvied  men,  and  one  which  they  naturally  craved, 
and  consequently  there  was  a  great  rush  to  see,  if 
not  to  taste,  the  unusual  article  proclaimed. 

"  That's  Sonny's  voice,"  said  Jed.  When  we  had 
got  through  the  crowd  near  enough  to  be  heard,  we 
said,  "  Joe,  Joe  !  let  us  taste  your  vinegar."  Jed 
took  the  first  taste,  and  made  up  a  disgusted  face. 
It  was  nothing  but  sour  beer. 

Joe  was  having  a  rush  of  trade,  and  got  "  shut " 
of  his  beans,  as  he  exjDressed  it,  wonderfully 
quick. 

For  a  few  days  Sonny  looked  quite  contented 
and  happy ;  but  all  flowers  fade,  and  so  did  Joejs 
flower  of  prosperity.  He  came  into  the  hut  one 
day  with  a  most  woe-begone  air,  and  after  some 
questioning  as  to  the  cause  of  his  melancholy,  con- 
fessed that  during  a  spell  of  dull  trade  he  had  eaten 
up  his  entire  stock  in  trade,  and  had  no  means  to 


LIFE  AND  DEATH  IN  PRISON,  313 

begin  again  in  the  morning.  He  was  "  busted,"  as 
he  called  it,  by  this  one  act  of  indiscretion. 

"  What  made  you  such  a  doggoned  fool  as  to  eat 
yer  beans  ?  "  queried  Kentuck}^  who  was  present. 

''  Well,  plague  it !  "  confessed  Sonny  dubiously, 
"  just  at  that  time  my  appetite  was  a  blasted  sight 
bigger  than  my  brains." 

After  this  Sonny,  naturally  brave  and  courage- 
ous, got  the  scurvy,  lost  heart,  and  gradually  sick- 
ened, like  many  others  in  the  prison. 


CHAPTER   XXVIT. 

IN   THE   JAWS    OF   DEATH. 

AFTER  this  shipwreck  of  his  business,  Joe  be- 
came despondent  and  hopeful  by  turns.  He 
had  what  old  prisoners  called  "  exchange  on  the 
brain."  He  "  took  too  much  stock,"  as  Moran  ex- 
pressed it,  in  the  ill-defined  rumors  of  an  exchange, 
with  which  the  prisoners  were  constantly  deluded. 
The  high  hopes  excited  were  followed  by  corre- 
sponding depression. 

Moran,  who  now  often  visited  us,  remonstrated 
with  Joe.  "  You  will  get  out  just  as  soon  if  you 
don't  believe  everything  you  hear  about  such  mat- 
ters. Keep  up  a  general  hopefulness,  but  don't  tie 
to  false  hopes." 

During  July  Joe  complained  of  a  sore  foot.  He 
had  several  times  been  down  to  the  quagmire,  to 
tread  out,  with  his  bare  feet,  pine  knots  and  roots 
for  fuel  to  cook  our  food.  Here  let  me  explain  that, 
terrible  as  this  swamp  was,  men  could  be  seen  at 
all  hours  thus  engaged,  so  great  was  the  want  of 
fuel.  Joe  had  a  scratch  on  his  foot,  which  had  be- 
come inoculated  with  the  poison  of  the  swamp. 

One  morning  he  came  into  the  hut  with  the  tears 
coursing  down  his  dirty  face,  crying  in  the  most 

314 


IN  THE  JAWS   OF  DEATH.  315 

disconsolate  tones,  "  I've  got  the  darnedest  sore  toe 
you  ever  saw." 

All  day  Joe  sat  with  his  foot  in  his  hands,  crying 
like  a  child,  and  repeating  in  dismal  tones,  "  I've 
got  an  awful  sore  toe."  There  certainly  never  was 
such  howling  over  a  sore  toe  before.  We  ceased 
to  laugh  or  smile,  however,  when  we  found  the  poor 
fellow's  leg  swollen  to  the  hip. 

The  condition  of  low  vitality  among  the  pris- 
oners made  the  poison  of  the  swamp  terrible  when 
it  got  into  the  sliglitest  wound. 

After  some  debate,  at  Joe's  request  we  concluded 
to  take  him  to  the  south  gate,  where  surgeons  were 
stationed  each  morning  to  determine  who  were  fit 
subjects  for  the  hospital,  which  at  our  coming  had 
been  inside  the  prison,  but  was  now  outside.  As 
the  number  who  were  admitted  was  determined  by 
the  number  who  died,  there  was  no  certainty  of 
getting  a  patient  admitted  simply  because  he 
needed  treatment. 

Scores  died  daily  inside  the  stockade  whom  no 
medical  officer  had  ever  seen,  and  if  they  had  they 
could  not  have  attended  them  there.  Some  morn- 
ings the  surgeons  did  not  come  to  the  gates  at  all, 
and  the  thi^ong  of  miserables  turned  hopelessly 
away. 

Jed  and  I  assisted  Joe  to  the  south  gate.  The 
sight  here  was  one  we  had  not  before  witnessed. 
A  packed  mass  of  men,  some  carrying  stretchers  on 
which  were  laid  the  dead,  with  unclosed  eyes,  dirt- 


316  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

clotted  faces,  and  falling  jaws,  mingled  with  the 
crowd.  Here,  also,  awaited  the  sick  and  dying. 
Those  borne  on  stretchers  were  sometimes  over- 
turned in  the  crowd,  those  limping  on  crutches 
were  rudely  jostled  by  the  miserable  throng.  When 
at  last  the  gates  were  thrown  open,  those  carrying 
the  dead  jostled  against  the  sick,  and  the  whole 
mass  struggled  and  shrieked,  clamored  and  surged, 
in  one  terrible  mass  of  suffering.  Such  was  the  scene 
that  met  our  gaze  as  we  conducted  Joe  to  the  gate. 

"  Take  me  back,  take  me  back  !  "  cried  Joe,  shud- 
dering. "I'd  rather  die  than  attem^^t  to  pass 
through  the  gate  in  this  awful  crowd." 

That  afternoon  the  quartermaster  came  to  our 
hut,  and  said  that  he  understood  that  Joe  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  if  he  would  go  out  and  work  at  his 
trade  they  would  have  him  doctored  and  well  fed, 
and  he'd  soon  get  well. 

"  You  needn't  take  the  oath,"  explained  the  Con- 
federate officer.  ''  We  want  you  to  take  the  place 
of  a  man  that's  to  be  sent  to  the  front." 

Joe  at  first  had  opened  his  eyes  wide  with  delight 
at  the  proposition,  but  now  shook  his  head  and 
said,  — 

"No,  sir!  I'm  pretty  far  gone,  and  I'm  pretty 
low  down  and  dirty,  but  I  won't  work  for  a  secesher. 
No,  sir ;  not  if  I  know  Joe  !  '* 

"  You  are  a  doggoned  fool  to  die  in  here  when 
you  can  get  out  and  live,"  was  the  contemptuous 
exclamation  of  the  officer,  as  he  turned  away. 


IN  THE  J  A  WS  OF  DEA  TH,  S17 

"Maybe  I  am,"  groaned  Joe,  "but  I  couldn't 
look  my  old  dad  in  the  face  again  after  playing 
traitor." 

Daily  Joe  grew  thinner  and  thinner.  Early  one 
morning,  not  long  after,  I  was  awakened  by  Jed, 
who  said,  "  I  believe  Joe  is  dying." 

Joe,  on  my  approach,  looked  up  at  me  with  some- 
thing of  his  old  brightness,  saying,  "Let  me  be 
buried  with  the  flag." 

"His  mind  wanders,  poor  fellow,"  said  Robinson. 

"  Pray  for  me,  Jed,"  feebly  ejaculated  Joe,  not 
noticing  Robinson's  remark.  And  as  we  all  knelt 
by  his  side,  wliile  holding  his  hand,  Jed  repeated 
that  sweetest,  simplest,  and  most  comprehensive  of 
all  prayers,  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven." 

The  first  few  words  the  sufferer  repeated  feebly 
after  him,  but  when  we  arose  from  our  knees  poor 
Joe's  eyes  had  no  answering  look.     He  was  dead. 

Thus  suddenly  men  died  all  over  the  prison.  At 
one  moment  I  have  seen  a  comrade  eating,  or  try- 
ing to  eat,  his  rations,  and  the  next  found  him  dead. 
It  seemed  that  if  the  will  failed  a  prisoner  for  a 
moment  only,  it  left  him  stranded  on  the  shoals  of 
death. 

We  were  preparing  Joe's  body  for  the  grave  that 
day  by  washing  his  person.  While  removing  his 
clothing,  Robinson  gave  a  start  of  surprise  and  ex- 
claimed, "What  is  this!"  There  was  a  heavy 
cloth  of  some  kind  wrapped  around  the  upper  part 
of  Joe's  body.     When  unrolled  it  proved  to  be  our 


318  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

regimental  flag.  He  had  carried  it  in  his  last  battle 
folded  around  his  body. 

A  crowd  of  prisoners  collected  around  us,  and 
tears  came  to  their  eyes  at  sight  of  the  dear  old 
flag. 

''  Let  it  be  buried  with  him.  He  was  a  common 
man,  but  he  was  a  hero,"  said  Moran,  when  we  told 
him  of  the  circumstances  wliich  the  reader  already 
knows. 

Tears  ran  down  our  faces  as  we  once  more 
wrapped  him  in  the  flag  he  had  carried  so  bravely 
in  the  fight,  —  a  fitting  shroud  for  a  soldier. 

A  member  of  the  burial  squad  afterwards  in- 
formed us  that  Joe's  wish  had  been  complied  with, 
and  that  he  had  been  buried  in  the  graveyard 
trench  with  the  flag  he  loved  folded  about  him. 

Such  Avere  the  heroes  who  died  here  by  thou- 
sands, that  tills  Republic  might  live.  They  could 
starve  and  die,  but  they  could  not  desert  the  cause 
of  their  country,  even  to  save  their  lives. 

It  was  my  custom  since  I  had  been  a  prisoner,  to 
visit  the  south  gate  when  new  prisoners  came  into 
the  stockade,  to  get  news  from  our  armies.  In 
this  way  I  not  only  managed  to  keep  very  well  in- 
formed of  the  progress  of  our  armies  in  the  field, 
but  had  also  met  a  number  of  acquaintances. 

One  afternoon  at  the  close  of  a  hot  day,  I  had 
visited  the  gate  to  see  this  incoming  tide,  which 
daily  fed  the  prison.  Among  the  new  prisoners  I 
recognized  Henry  Grace.     I  spoke  to  him,  but  he 


IN  THE  JAWS  OF  DEATH.  319 

did  not  know  me,  so  changed  was  I  by  hunger, 
scurvy,  and  filth.  He  finally  remembered  me,  and 
the  first  question  he  asked  was  the  same  that  I 
had  put  to  old  prisoners  Avhen  I  first  entered  the 
prison,  — 

"  Why  don't  you  keep  yourselves  clean  here  ?  " 

I  tried  to  explain  to  him,  but,  like  all  other  new 
prisoners,  he  could  not  understand. 

Jed  was  delighted  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
a  prisoner  so  bright  and  clean.  Grace's  coming 
seemed  to  give  new  life  to  all  of  us  for  a  while, 
and  he  was  invited  to  take  poor  Joe  Mayo's  place 
in  our  mess. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Grace  awakened  me  by 
saying,  — 

''  Where  do  you  wash  ?  " 

I  explained  that  we  washed  at  the  brook,  and 
offered  to  accompany  him  thither.  As  we  passed 
on  our  way  we  could  see  the  liill  slopes  crowded 
with  little  huts.  Scarcely  a  sign  of  life  could  be 
seen  at  this  early  hour  in  camp.  It  was  a  corralled 
army  sleeping.  Perhaps  there  was  never  seen  so 
much  of  human  misery  massed  together  and  silent. 
The  stillness  was  gradually  broken;  here  and 
there  little  fires  appeared,  and  soon  the  whole  camp 
was  awakened,  to  battle  for  one  more  day  with  the 
doom  that  overshadowed  it. 

The  filthy  stream  and  its  surroundings  excited 
Grace's  disgust,  and  at  first  he  refused  to  bathe  in 
itt     But  he  overcame  his  repugnance  on  being  told 


320  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

that  it  was  cleaner  in  the  morning  than  at  any 
other  time. 

In  July,  when  the  news  reached  us  of  Stone- 
man's  raid,  the  expectations  of  the  prisoners  were 
roused  to  the  highest  pitch.  The  rebels  were  so 
alarmed  that  they  began  firing  shell  over  our  heads. 

General  Winder  had  the  grounds  staked  off  with 
white  flags  for  ranges,  and  issued  an  order  to  open 
fire  on  the  stockade  Avith  the  artillery,  if  the  Yankee 
cavalrymen  came  within  seven  miles  of  it.  This 
we  did  not  know  at  the  time. 

About  the  7th  of  July,  the  captured  cavalrymen 
of  Stoneman's  command  came  in  as  prisoners,  and 
told  us  the  news  of  his  capture  and  the  consequent 
failure  of  the  raid.  This  raiding  column  had 
reached  the  outskirts  of  Macon. 

Thus  one  by  one  perished  the  hopes  of  release, 
except  by  death,  of  the  miserables  in  "  Camp  Sum- 
ter." 

Our  rations  steadily .  became  worse  and  less. 
The  meal  was  principally  of  cob  ground  with  the 
corn,  Avhile  the  beans  were  very  wormy.  They 
soon  began  to  issue  cooked  rations  to  about  one- 
third  of  the  prisoners.  These  were  brought  into 
the  prison  in  wagons  in  Avhich  the  dead  had  been 
carried  to  the  trenches. 

The  foul  marsh  gave  out  its  deadly  stench,  con- 
taminating the  air  for  miles  around.  The  death 
rates  increased  constantly.  The  long,  terrible  days 
dragged  slowly  by,  and  yet  there  came  no  word  of 


iN  THE  JAWS  OF  DEATH.  32l 

hope,  except  the  cheering  news  of  a  victory  by 
Sherman. 

In  July  there  were  thirty-five  thousand  inmates 
of  the  stockade.  Then  the  prison  was  enlarged 
by  an  addition  on  the  north  side,  which  made  the 
area  sixteen  hundred  feet  in  length  by  ten  hundred 
and  ten  feet  in  width,  and  Ave  got  the  timber  which 
separated  the  old  from  the  new  stockade  for  fuel. 

Shortly  after  this  an  immense  rainfall,  accompa- 
nied by  thunder  and  lightning,  caused  a  freshet 
which  swept  away  the  stockade  at  the  points  where 
the  brook  entered  and  left  the  prison.  Before  the 
stockade  was  carried  away,  the  quagmire  was 
flooded ;  and  when  the  lower  stockade  was  broken 
by  this  flood,  the  water  poured  out  with  such  vol- 
ume and  strength  as  to  remove  the  fecal  filth  and 
maggots  which  had  accumulated  to  the  depth  of 
several  feet. 

If  the  prisoners  had  at  this  time  made  one  gen- 
eral rush  they  could  have  overpowered  the  guard 
and  escaped.  What  they  could  have  done  after 
that  is  another  question.  Had  they  in  such  an 
event  kept  together  in  large  numbers,  they  could 
not  have  been  fed  from  the  country,  and  if  they 
scattered  they  were  liable  to  be  captured  or  shot 
down  in  detail.  The  chief  cause  of  not  making  a 
break  at  this  time,  however,  was  want  of  organi- 
zation and  the  demoralization  of  hunger. 

The  Confederates  soon  had  artillery  and  infantry 
stationed  at  the  broken  portions  of  the  stockade. 


322  JED'S  ADVENTURE^. 

After  this  storm  a  spring  of  pure  water  was  dis- 
covered inside  the  dead  line,  trickling  down  the 
north  hillside.  It  was  about  half-way  between  the 
north  gate  and  the  brook  which  ran  through  the 
prison. 

As  many  marvels  have  been  related  of  this  so- 
called  "  Providence  Spring,"  it  is  well  perhaps  to 
exj)lain  its  origin.  The  whole  north  hillside  was 
springy  land.  Quite  a  number  of  prisoners  had 
availed  themselves  of  this  fact  by  digging  shallow 
wells,  and  thus  obtaining  water.  But  these  wells 
soon  became  contaminated  with  filth,  and  the  edges 
trampled  and  muddy,  so  that  they  were  but  little 
used. 

After  the  discovery  of  "Providence  Spring," 
prisoners  were  allowed  to  construct  a  spout  by 
nailing  two  pieces  of  board  together  at  right  angles, 
one  end  of  which  was  thrust  into  the  running 
spring,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  catch  the  water. 
The  spout  was  pointed  slightly  down  hill  and 
nailed  to  the  dead  line.  This  conducted  a  stream 
of  pure  water  into  the  stockade.  The  prisoners 
after  this  might  have  been  seen  formed  in  two  and 
four  ranks,  patiently  waiting  in  the  heat,  by  thou- 
sands, to  fill  their  canteens,  cups,  and  buckets, 
with  its  cool  waters. 

I  was  told  that  this  spring  had  long  been  known 
to  the  people  of  that  region,  but  that  during  the 
construction  of  the  stockade  it  had  been  filled  up. 

The  freshet  had  removed  the  soil  again,  and  the 


m  THE  JA  WS  OF  DEA  TH.  32B 

spring  had  burst  out  afresh,  giving  its  pure  waters 
to  the  suffering  Union  soldiers.  This  is  probably 
the  true  solution  of  its  sudden  and  salutary  appear- 
ance. In  any  case,  it  was  not  extraordinary,  for  a 
gulley  alone,  made  by  the  water  running  swiftly 
down  the  hillside,  was  sufficient  to  account  for  its 
existence  in  a  place  so  springy. 

Moran  had  noAV  moved  his  quarters  nearer  us, 
and  often  assisted  us  by  his  advice. 

A  big  French  Canadian,  known  in  prison  as  "  Big 
Pete,"  and  having  a  large  capital  of  brute  strength 
and  courage,  had,  about  the  time  of  our  coming 
into  the  prison,  "set  up"  as  Chief  of  Police.  He 
had  gradually  enlarged  his  sphere  of  action  to  that 
of  Judge  ;  and  if  his  trials  were  comical  to  the  spec- 
tator, they  were  seldom  so  to  the  culprit. 

One  of  my  acquaintances  described  his  fist  (with 
a  vividness  which  showed  intimate  knowledge)  as 
being  as  "  big  as  a  teakettle." 

Big  Pete  became  a  terror  to  evil-doers ;  and  to 
strengthen  his  rule,  he  appointed  policemen  to 
execute  his  commands.  Moran  was  one  of  these 
officials. 

One  night,  shortly  after  Grace's  arrival,  we  heard 
a  voice  outside  calling  Grace  by  name. 

"What  is  wanted?"  inquired  one  of  us. 

"  You  keep  still  and  none  of  you  will  be  hurt. 
Our  business  is  with  Grace,"  was  the  reply. 

Grace  had  by  this  time  got  to  his  feet,  stepped 
outside  the  shelter,  and  confronted  the  intruders. 


324  JED'S  ADVENTURED. 

We  soon  heard  a  desperate  struggle,  and  rushed  to 
the  scene.  Two  or  three  men  had  Grace,  who, 
though  small,  was  an  athlete,  in  their  grasp.  We 
attempted  to  assist  liim,  but  were  beaten  back. 
Others  came  to  the  assistance  of  the  raiders.  Sud- 
denly a  tall,  dark  form  was  seen  to  spring  in  among 
the  raiders  and  deal  them  terrible  blows  with  a 
club,  until,  groaning  and  shrieking,  they  scattered 
in  the  darkness. 

The  man  who  had  thus  opportunely  come  to  our 
assistance  was  Moran. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  "  we  inquired. 

"  The  raiders  were  trying  to  rob  the  boy  !  "  ex- 
plained Moran.  Grace  had  been  badly  choked,  but 
was  otherwise  uninjured. 

"  How  came  they  to  pitch  into  you  so  soon  ?  " 
asked  Moran,  who  understood  their  methods. 

"  They  asked  me  to  hand  out  my  watch  and 
mo'ney.  I  refused,  and  they  went  for  me,"  said 
Grace. 

Here  in  explanation  let  me  say  that  these  raiders 
were  a  band  of  thieves  under  the  leadership  of  one 
Bill  Collins,  better  known  to  prisoners  as  "  Mosby, 
the  raider."  This  band  of  ruffians,  it  was  after- 
wards ascertained,  was  largely  made  up  of  bounty 
jumpers,  who  had  at  first  deserted  to  the  Confede- 
rates. They,  not  pleased  with  their  society,  had 
sent  them  to  Andersonville,  that  they  might  be  ex- 
changed for  their  own  men. 

These  rascals  had  fu-st  begun  their  operations  at 


IN  niE  J  A  WS  OF  DBA  TIL  825 

Belle  Isle  and  Salisbury,  where  they  were  known 
as  the  "  Muggers."  Their  methods  were  to  find 
out  during  the  day  the  name  and  stopping-place  of 
such  as  had  money,  and  then  at  night  call  them 
out  and  rob  them. 

Not  long  after  this  the  gang  became  so  bold  that 
they  murdered  men  who  refused  to  submit  to  being 
robbed.  About  eighty  of  them  were  arrested  by 
Big  Pete's  prison  police,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Confederate  quartermaster,  Duncan,  and  a  squad 
of  Confederate  soldiers.  A  jury  was  empanelled, 
counsel  for  the  prosecution  and  for  the  accused  se- 
lected, and  six  of  them  were  tried  and  found  guilty 
of  theft  and»murder. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  July,  1864,  these  six 
prisoners  were  hanged  on  a  gallows  inside  the 
stockade.  Considering  the  crimes  common  to  a 
city  of  thirty  thousand  people,  under  the  restraints 
of  law,  it  was  wonderful  that  among  men  suffer- 
ing so  terribly,  and  where  there  were  no  restraints 
except  those  imposed  by  themselves,  that  so  little 
violence  occurred  at  Andersonville. 

After  this  execution  the  camp  was  as  orderly  as 
any  military  camp,  and  any  one  having  authority 
could  keep  order. 

Moran  one  day  introduced  us  to  a  prisoner  known 
as  *'  Kentucky."  He  was  bent  down  and  starved 
to  a  shadow  by  long  imprisonment,  but  he  possessed 
audacity  and  courage,  and  was  a  natural  leader  of 
men. 


§S6  JED'S  ADVENTURED, 

One  day  lie  remarked,  "I  say,  stranger,  look 
a-hyer,  we've  got  a  right  smart  hole  dug,  out  yon." 

I  did  not  comprehend,  and  exclaimed  with  some 
surprise,  "What?" 

"A  tunnel,"  responded  he.  "Don't  you  see? 
our  boys  have  got  one  a'most  dug,  and  we  are  goin' 
to  open  the  hole,  and  git  to  God's  country." 

Moran,  who  had  been  listening,  said,  "  Yes ;  I 
brought  Kentucky  up  here,  so  that  if  he  liked  the 
looks  of  you  he  could  tell  you  about  it." 

About  dark,  in  company  with  Jed  and  Moran,  I 
visited  a  hut  near  the  dead  line,  where  four  of 
Kentucky's  chums  lay  on  a  blanket,  smoking  and 
talking.     I  was  introduced.  ^ 

"Where's  the  tunnel  ?  "  I  inquired.  One  of  them 
quickly  rolled  back  the  blanket  on  which  they  had 
been  lying,  removed  the  earth  from  the  back  of  the 
hut,  near  the  dead  line,  revealing  a  poncho  blanket. 
This  was  pulled  away,  showing  a  hole  much  like 
a  small  well.     This  was  covered  by  sticks. 

"  Here  is  the  entrance,"  said  Kentucky,  clearing 
away  the  sticks  and  getting  into  the  hole.  "  Come 
on ; "  and  with  this  brief  command  he  disappeared, 
and  I  followed. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel  Kentucky  had  picked 
up  a  couple  of  haversacks  and  half  a  canteen,  which 
he  used  as  a  scoop.  "  Don't  rise  your  back  up,  or 
the  plaguy  thing  will  cave  in  on  us,"  said  Ken- 
tucky. 

It  was  hot  and  uncomfortable  in  the  tunnel,  and 


IM  THE  J  A  WS  OF  DBA  Til.  32? 

before  I  had  crawled  very  far  I  felt  like  backing 
out;  but  as  there  was  no  room  in  which  to  turn 
around,  and  as  others  were  behind  me,  I  could  not 
do  so. 

Kentucky  soon  scooped  up  a  haversack  full  of 
soil  and  passed  it  to  me ;  I  passed  it  to  Jed  behind 
me ;  he  passed  it  to  Moran,  and  so  on,  until  the 
sack  reached  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  where  it 
was  taken  out,  carried  to  the  swamp  and  dumped. 
In  this  way  we  worked  nearly  two  hours  in  the 
intense  darkness. 

I  did  not  have  entire  confidence  in  the  tunnel, 
and  this  feeling  was  increased  by  Kentucky's  cool 
remark  that  "  if  I  rose  my  back  like  a  cat  the  thing 
mought  cave." 

I  came  out  of  the  tunnel  at  eleven  o'clock.  I 
knew  the  time  by  the  guard  calling  from  post  to 
post,  "  Eleven  o'clock  and  all  is  well,"  as  was  their 
custom  at  each  hour  of  the  night. 

The  next  morning,  Kentucky  came  to  our  hut 
and  said,  — 

"  I've  concluded  to  open  the  tunnel  to-night. 
Come  up  to  our  shebang  'bout  noon,  and  we'll 
talk  it  over." 

As  I  was  making  my  way  to  his  quarters  at  the 
appointed  time,  I  was  met  by  Kentucky,  who  said 
in  quiet  tones,  — 

"  Don't  go  up  there,  our  fixin's  are  bust.  That 
doggoned  old  Duncan  (the  rebel  quartermaster) 
came  along  this  morning  with  his    durned    iron 


S28  JED'S  ADVENTURE^. 

prod  and  slumped  it  into  our  tunnel.  He  has  set  a 
lot  of  our  boys  at  work  filling  it  in." 

It  seems  that  it  was  the  custom  of  that  function- 
ary, Duncan,  every  morning  to  prod  around  inside 
the  dead  line  with  a  long,  sharpened  iron  bar  to 
discover  tunnels. 

The  tunnels  usually  ran  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  were  held  up  by  the  interlacing  fibres 
of  roots  inside  the  dead  line.  Fresh  soil  scattered 
on  the  black  prison  ground  usually  excited  sus- 
picion, and  the  prod  of  the  quartermaster  did  the 
rest.  In  this  manner  scores  of  tunnels  were  de- 
tected. 

At  one  time  the  rebels  discovered  a  tunnel  over 
a  hundred  feet  long.  At  another  time  the  stockade 
was  undermined  in  four  places,  for  the  purpose  of 
breaking  it  and  liberating  the  prisoners.  At  the 
time  set  for  breaking  the  stockade  the  rebels 
announced  that  they  were  aware  of  the  plan,  and 
had  the  names  of  the  ringleaders,  and  at  the  first 
demonstration  would  take  them  out  and  punish 
theni. 

"  There  is  no  mistake  but  that  the  outside  au- 
thorities were  terribly  frightened,  and  justly  so," 
said  Moran,  when  narrating  the  incident. 

Although  the  tunnel  had  failed,  it  set  us  to 
thinking  up  plans  of  escape,  and  led  to  results 
shown  in  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

TUNNELLING   OUT. 

/^NE  month  after  the  scenes  narrated  in  the 
^-^  foregoing  chapter,  a  group  had  gathered 
around  our  hut. 

That  terrible  day  was  ahnost  at  its  close.  The 
tall  pines  outside  the  western  limit  of  the  palisade, 
now  that  its  inmates  no  longer  needed  shade, 
threw  their  lengthened  shadows  within  the  enclo- 
sure. 

The  stench  from  the  swamp,  absorbed  in  part  by 
the  heat  during  the  day,  polluted  the  air  with  pes- 
tilential breath. 

The  prison  rations  had  just  been  issued,  and 
thirty  thousand  men  were  for  the  hour  intent  on 
cooking,  eating,  or  clamoring  to  exchange  their 
scanty  rations  with  each  other  in  the  vain  hope  of 
getting  more  palatable  food. 

As  the  shadows  lengthened,  the  discordant  out- 
cries softened  into  confused  murmurs,  and  men 
gathered  in  little  groups  around  their  squalid  huts 
to  talk  of  home  or  food. 

The  ragged,  famine-pinched  group  at  our  hut 
were  talking  of  exchange.  They  had  previously 
329 


330  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

exhausted  their  ingenuity  in  discussing  the  manner 
in  which  they  would  have  food  cooked  when  they 
once  more  reached  "  God's  Country,"  as  they  not 
irreverently  call  the  Union  lines. 

Moran,  who  had  taken  no  part  in  the  conversa- 
tion, now  impatiently  exclaimed,  — 

"  What  is  the  use  in  talking  ?  Let  us  do  some- 
thing to  get  away  from  this  awful  place,  where 
men  die  like  sheep,  without  a  hand  raised  against 
their  enemies !  " 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  as  if  the  propo- 
sition involved  consequences  too  serious  for  unpre- 
meditated talk.  A  voice,  high-pitched  and  tremu- 
lous with  weakness,  finally  replied,  — 

"  I'm  in  for  any  plan.  Jack,  that  wdll  give  us  a 
reasonable  chance  for  life." 

The  speaker,  who  had  been  sitting  in  a  crouch- 
ing position,  here  looked  up  and  revealed  the 
almost  girlish  face  of  Henry  Grace,  now  haggard 
and  pinched  with  famine  and  covered  with  dirt. 
One  would  be  slow  now  to  see  in  that  face 
indications  of  the  iron  resolution  and  reckless 
courage  for  Avhich  he  was  known  among  soldiers 
and  prisoners.  Jack  Moran  had  also  changed  for 
the  worse.     Jed  was  terribly  thin  and  haggard. 

"I  think,"  said  Kentucky,  who  was  visiting  us, 
"  my  best  chance  to  get  out  is  to  wait  until  I'm  a 
little  thinner  and  then  crawl  through  the  cracks  of 
the  stockade." 

*'Yes,"  drawled  Grace,  "and  then  you'll  only 


TUNNELLING  OUT,  331 

have  to  turn  sideways  to  be  invisible  to  the 
enemy." 

At  this  the  group  of  ragged  starvelings  laughed 
as  other  men  laugh,  for  humor  is  the  last  sentiment 
that  dies  out  of  the  hearts  of  brave  men. 

"Well,"  said  Jed,  ''it  isn't  any  use  worrying 
about  chances,  for  our  chances  can  be  no  worse 
in  trying  to  get  out  than  in  remaining  here." 

"  That's  bravely  said,"  said  Moran  approvingly  : 
"  there  isn't  one  chance  in  thirty  for  us  to  live  here 
six  months.  There's  over  a  hundred  deaths  each 
day  in  this  'hell's  ten-acre  lot.' " 

"  Ain't  that  rather  a  rough  name  for  a  Confed- 
erate boarding-house?"  said  Grace,  with  his  old 
humor  twinkling  in  his  eyes  at  Moran's  explosive- 
ness. 

I  agreed  heartily  with  Moran's  views,  and  so  did 
all  of  our  party  but  Robinson,  who,  having  a  settled 
repugnance  to  experiments,  only  said,  — 

"  You'll  get  yourselves  killed,  when,  if  j^ou'd 
wait,  you  might  be  exchanged." 

"Haven't  we  been  in  this  place  waiting  since 
May  ?  "  said  Jed,  "  and  aren't  half  our  boys  dead 
already  ?  " 

"  That's  a  clincher,"  drawled  Grace  approvingly. 

It  was  finally  agreed,  and  even  Robinson  assented, 
that  we  should  unite  in  another  effort  to  escape 
from  the  prison.  As  we  had  but  one  chance  in 
ten  for  life  in  this  horrible  place,  all  felt  that  it 
was  better  to  condense  the  chances  against  us  iu 


832  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

one  effort  to  avoid  the  doom  which  threatened  the 
hopeless  inmates  of  Anderson ville. 

Various  places  were  talked  over  for  the  contem- 
plated attempt.  Moran  thought  a  tunnel  might  be 
successfully  dug  from  one  of  the  sheds  Avhich  had 
been  lately  erected  in  the  "  new  stockade." 

It  was,  as  he  argued,  farthest  from  the  gate,  and 
consequently  we  could  get  warning  if  the  quarter- 
master should  make  one  of  his  prying  visits. 
Again,  the  guard,  being  at  a  long  distance  from 
their  officers,  would  be  less  watchful  at  this  point 
than  nearer.  It  was  also  near  the  woods.  A  plan 
outlined  by  Jed  was  finally  adopted.  He  proposed 
digging  a  tunnel  from  an  unfinished  well  at  the 
northeast  part  of  the  stockade.  This  had  all  the 
advantages,  and  none  of  the  hinderances,  of  the 
other  plans. 

The  place  was  less  thickly  inhabited  here,  and 
the  digging  of  the  well  gave  us  a  plausible  excuse 
for  being  seen  there,  and  for  disposing  of  the  soil 
excavated  from  the  tunnel  under  pretence  of  com- 
pleting the  well.  It  was  a  good  plan,  and  was 
adopted. 

"  I  go  for  pushing  it  through  at  once,  for  I  need 
exercise  to  take  down  my  fat,"  said  Kentucky,  who 
never  could  resist  presenting  the  ludicrous  side  even 
of  a  serious  subject. 

"  You  are  too  full  of  nonsense,"  said  Robinson 
reproachfully. 

^'  Well,  I  feel  that  it's  better  to  laugh  than  to 


TUNNELLING   OUT.  333 

cry,"   said   Kentucky,    "and   I   am   sure   it  pays 
better." 

"  I  don't  think  it  pays  to  do  either,"  said  Moran. 
"  If  a  man's  courage  isn't  good  without  whistling 
to  keep  it  up,  it's  not  good  for  much." 

"  I've  noticed,  though,  that  men  with  some  fun 
in  them  have  more  earnestness  and  courage  than 
the  solemn  ones  when  the  nip  comes,"  drawled 
Grace. 

Everything  favored  our  plan.  There  was  great 
need  of  a  well  at  this  part  of  the  stockade,  as  it  was 
a  long  distance  for  weak  men  to  walk  either  to 
"Providence  Spring"  or  to  the  "Branch"  for 
water.  So  Jed,  Moran,  Robinson;  Grace,  and  my- 
self all  moved  our  belongings  nearer  to  the  well, 
and  here  not  only  set  up  housekeeping,  but  sud- 
denly exhibited  great  enthusiasm  at  well-digging. 

The  tunnel  was  begun  in  the  well  at  about  breast 
height.      Each  night  the  soil  removed  from  the 
'tunnel  was  thrown  into  the  well,  to  be  removed 
next  day  under  pretence  of  deepening  the  well. 

The  prisoners  who  had  projected  the  well  had  a 
rope,  which  they  loaned  us  for  the  purpose  of  diuw- 
ing  out  soil  in  a  wooden  bucket,  which  was  the 
product  of  Jed's  ingenuity. 

We  dug  in  the  tunnel  only  at  night,  during  which 
time  the  well  would  be  filled  with  the  soil  excavated 
from  our  tunnel.  Before  getting  out  of  the  well 
each  morning,  the  entrance  to  the  mouth  of  the 
tunnel  was  concealed. 


334  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

We  gradually  added  to  the  number  interested  in 
our  project  those  whom  we  knew  to  be  trustworthy, 
among  others  the  men  who  owned  the  rope.  There 
were  only  fifteen  in  the  secret,  as  it  was  not  best  to 
trust  too  many  with  our  plans.  Each  man  was 
pledged  to  secrecy.  The  tunnel  was  large  enough 
for  a  large  man  to  crawl  through  on  his  hands  and 
knees. 

After  we  had  been  at  work  a  week,  Moran  meas- 
ured our  work,  and  declared  that  the  hole  extended 
twenty  feet  beyond  the  stockade.  All  that  Avas 
now  needed  was  to  open  our  tunnel. 

About  this  time  we  pretended  to  be  hopeless  of 
ever  reaching  water,  and  began  to  throw  the  soil 
back  into  the  well  in  pretended  disgust.  This 
answered  the  double  purpose  of  concealing  our 
work  and  of  filling  up  the  well,  so  as  to  bring  the 
tunnel  to  a  convenient  heiglit  for  easy  access,  and 
to  direct  attention  from  our  real  design  while  we 
waited  for  a  dark  night  in  which  to  make  our  exit. 

At  last  a  dark,  rainy  night  came,  and  we  began 
opening  the  tunnel  by  digging  upward  into  the 
outer  air  at  its  farthest  extremity.  The  tunnel  ran 
under  the  palisade  midway  between  two  sentry- 
boxes. 

Turner,  who  had  charge  of  the  bloodhounds  at 
Andersonville,  was  in  the  habit  of  making  a  circuit 
around  the  outside  of  the  stockade  every  night  be- 
tween eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  and  we  waited  to 
hear  the  dogs  before  "  opening  "  our  tunnel.     W© 


TUNNELLING  OUT,  335 

had  been  digging  for  several  nights  on  a  gradually 
ascending  plane,  in  order  to  make  our  exit  easier, 
and  were  at  this  time  within  about  five  feet  of  the 
surface  at  its  farther  end  outside  the  stockade.  At 
a  little  after  eleven  o'clock  the  dogs  were  heard 
making  their  usual  ro7-inds. 

We  began  our  task,  —  ranged  in  the  tunnel  at 
convenient  distances,  on  our  hands  and  knees,  —  of 
passing  the  excavated  soil  to  one  another  to  be 
thi'own  into  the  well. 

We  worked  vigorously  and  silently.  It  was 
very  hot  at  any  time  at  this  work,  and  through 
excitement  or  some  other  cause  it  was  at  this  time 
hotter  than  usual. 

I  was  next  to  Moran,  who  was  opening  the  tun- 
nel, when  I  felt  a  draught  of  cool  air,  and  saw  be- 
fore me  a  strange  yellow  glimmer  of  light.  The 
tunnel  had  reached  the  outer  air. 

Suddenly  the  work  ceased,  and  Moran  came 
towards  me  Avhispering,  — 

"We  are  in  a  scrape.  We  have  opened  our 
hole  just  about  ten  feet  beyond  an  outside  picket- 
fire." 

All  went  back  to  the  well  to  consult  upon  this 
unexpected  circumstance.  Upon  our  return  we 
brought  back  the  rope  into  the  tunnel,  so  that  by 
each  placing  a  hand  upon  it  they  could  easily  be 
signalled. 

We  also  brought  with  us  all  our  property  which 
we  intended  to  take.      On  this  occasion  I  went 


336  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

first,    Jed   followed   with  Grace,    Moran  and   the 
others  following  us. 

"  New  nerves  for  a  new  emergency ;  mine  are 
all  shaken  up  to-night,  and  I  am  not  fit  to  lead,'' 
said  Moran. 

One  look,  as  I  stuck  my  head  through  the  hole, 
gave  me  the  situation.  By  standing  up  in  the 
mouth,  or  opening,  of  our  tunnel,  I  could  easily 
step  out.  Fortunately  for  us,  Moran  had  made  no 
noise  in  making  the  opening.  It  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  get  out  without  being  discovered,  yet 
every  moment  was  precious,  and  the  hourly  cry, 
''Twelve  o'clock,  and  all's  well,"  from  Post  22 
had  just  been  called.  In  a  short  time  the  guard 
would  be  relieved,  and  the  relief  might  stumble 
right  into  the  hole  we  had  just  opened. 

The  guard  w^as  sitting  on  a  log  by  his  fire  with 
his  back  toward  us.  While  we  were  hesitating,  the 
question  was  solved  in  an  unexpected  manner.  A 
man  approached  the  guard  and  proposed  to  him  to 
visit  his  quarters  and  get  a  di'ink  of  "  prime  apple 
jack."  As  the  guard  at  first  hesitated,  his  friend 
urged,  "  It  won't  take  more  than  fifteen  minutes," 
and  he  consented. 

He  left  his  haversack  and  musket  at  the  fu^e, 
and  came  so  perilously  near  our  opening  that  it 
seemed  that  he  must  stumble  upon  us. 

After  this  I  was  in  the  very  act  of  getting  out 
of  the  tunnel  when  I  heard  a  step,  and  in  a  moment 
the  same  guard  returned.     I  saw  him  pick  up  his 


TUNNELLING   OUT.  337 

cotton  haversack,  take  from  it  a  pi^^e,  and,  lighting 
it,  sit  down  on  the  log.  But  soon,  throwing  a  few . 
sticks  on  his  fire,  he  arose  and  disappeared  in  the 
darkness.  The  cold  sweat  of  suspense  stood  all 
over  me,  and  my  nerves  were  in  a  tremor  when  I 
pulled  the  rope  for  the  others  to  advance  as  I  got 
out  of  the  tunnel.  In  a  short  time  we  had  all  crept 
on  hands  and  knees  into  the  sheltering  woods  near 
at  hand. 

Grace  had,  however,  stopped  long  enough  to 
possess  himself  of  the  musket  and  haversack 
belonging  to  the  guard. 

It  had  previously  been  arranged  that  we  should 
make  three  parties  of  five  each,  and  that  each  party 
should  pursue  its  plans  of  escape  independent  of 
the  other. 

Our  party  consisted  of  Jed,  Moran,  Grace,  Rob- 
inson, and  myself. 

We  silently  separated  from  Kentucky  and 
other  comrades,  and,  facing  eastward,  began  our 
journey  through  the  dark  woods,  in  the  desperate 
effort  to  reach  our  lines. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

TO   THE   RIVER. 

/^UR  plan  was  to  reach  the  Flint  River,  which 
^-^  flows  southward  towards  the  Gulf,  ten  miles 
from  Andersonville.  There  we  hoped  to  find  either 
a  boat  or  the  materials  for  constructing  a  raft,  and 
to  elude  the  dogs  by  going  down  the  river. 

Our  party  possessed  a  small  pocket  compass  and 
a  map  of  the  count}^  with  scale  of  miles,  obtained 
by  tracing  from  a  map  owned  by  a  comrade  in  prison. 
We  also  had  tAvo  knives  similar  to  those  used  by 
sailors,  and  then  used  by  our  troops  as  eating-knives. 
We  had  with  us  the  well-rope,  besides  the  rebel 
musket  and  haversack  which  Grace  had  taken. 

I  had  serious  misgivings  about  the  effects  of  this 
act,  but  Grace  argued  that  as  the  guard  had  lost  his 
musket  by  deserting  his  post,  he  would  be  likely  to 
falsify  in  a  way  that  would  call  attention  from  our 
escape,  rather  than  to  it.  Besides,  it  was  a  positive 
good  to  possess  these  things,  while  it  was  impossible 
to  foresee  any  evil  that  might  result  from  their 
possession. 

A  previous  experience  in  attempting  to  escape 
had  taught  me  that  when  travelling  in  the  woods, 
with  no  paths  or  points  in  the  landscape  for  guid- 
338 


TO   THE  RIVER.  BS9 

ance,  ong  would  be  more  likely  to  move  in  a  curved 
than  in  a  direct  line.  So  our  first  care,  after  leav- 
ing the  prison,  was  to  take  a  direction  east,  and 
keep  it. 

As  we  could  not  direct  our  way  by  means  of  the 
compass  because  of  darkness,  we  undertook  to  do 
this  by  getting  range  from  point  to  point  by  means 
of  trees.  But  even  with  these  precautions  we  did 
not  keep  our  course,  and  when  daylight  came  we 
found  ourselves  travelling  towards  the  north.  We 
at  once  changed  our  directions  to  east,  and  hurried 
on  towards  the  river,  which  we  hoped  to  reach  be- 
fore the  dogs  were  put  on  our  track. 

We  passed  through  several  immense  cornfields, 
where  we  gathered  ears  of  corn,  and  no  one  who 
has  not  had  a  similar  experience  of  hunger  can 
imagine  how  ravenously  we  ate  it,  or  how  refreshed 
we  were  by  this  food. 

At  daybreak  it  stopped  raining,  and  the  sun 
came  up  glowing  and  hot.  We  had  been  very 
thirsty  for  some  time,  and  had  no  other  thought, 
when  we  came  to  a  little  stream  in  the  woods,  than 
to  satisfy  our  thirst.  It  was  not  until  we  had  drank 
that  it  occurred  to  us  that  following  the  stream 
would  lead  us  to  the  river,  and  at  the  same  time 
throw  the  dogs  off  our  track,  should  they  follow  us. 

We  got  into  the  stream  and  walked  in  Indian 
file,  with  the  water  up  to  our  knees,  and  had  thus 
journeyed  for  an  hour,  sometimes  miring  to  our 
waists,  sometimes  encountering  interlacing,  thorny 


340  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

vines  across  the  creek,  making  it  almost  impassable, 
when  we  came  into  swampy  land.  A  deep  fringe  of 
underbrush,  taller  than  our  heads,  on  either  side, 
gave  us  a  refreshing  shade. 

Our  advance  was,  however,  here  so  difficult  that 
we  debated  retracing  our  steps,  when  Jed,  who  was 
very  quick  of  hearing,  declared  that  the  dogs  were 
on  our  track.  We  listened,  and  soon  heard  the 
distant  yelping  of  the  hounds.  They  had  struck 
our  track  on  the  road  near  where  we  had  taken  to 
the  water.  We  debated  the  situation  in  whispers, 
knowing  they  would  be  likely  to  follow  on  the 
banks  of  the  stream  to  regain  our  track.  Tlie  re- 
sult of  the  debate  was  that  we  resolved  to  follow 
the  stream  until  we  were  obliged  to  abandon  it. 

Upon  hearing  the  dogs,  Grace  loaded  his  musket, 
saying,  "  They  won't  get  me  without  getting  some 
of  this." 

The  swamp  had  the  advantage  to  us  that  it  was 
impassable  to  our  mounted  pursuers,  and  that  they 
could  not  get  through  its  bogs  to  flank  us. 

We  finally  came  to  firmer  ground,  —  an  indica- 
tion that  we  were  getting  out  of  the  swamp.  I 
was  in  favor  of  going  back  into  the  heart  of  the 
swamp  again,  when  to  the  left  of  us  we  heard  the 
yelping  of  dogs  and  the  shouts  of  the  men. 

"They  are  trying  to  frighten  us  into  showing 
ourselves,  or  into  making  some  noise,  so  as  to  find 
out  where  we  are,"  said  Moran.  We  were  uncer- 
tain what  course  to  pursue,  but  finally,  as  there  was 


TO   THE  RIVER.  841 

then  no  means  of  their  finding  our  track,  we  con- 
cluded to  continue  on  our  course.  We  had  kept 
on  some  fifteen  minutes  in  painful  silence,  making 
as  little  noise  as  possible,  when  right  before  us  we 
again  heard  the  dogs  and  men. 

"  They  have  gone  around  the  swamp  to  see  if 
they  can  strike  our  track  from  below,"  said  Grace, 
"  and  I  think  Ave  had  better  stay  right  where  we 
are  for  a  while." 

There  was  a  big  tree  just  below  us  in  the  SAvamp. 
I  suggested  that  by  means  of  an  overhanging  branch 
one  of  us  might  get  into  the  tree,  perhaps  see  what 
was  before  us,  or  possibly  discover  what  our  pur- 
suers were  doino-. 

Jed  mounted  on  Moran's  shoulders,  grasped  the 
tip  of  the  limbs,  and  soon  clambered  into  the  tree. 
He  reported  that  the  swamp  extended  apparently  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  us,  and  beyond  that 
there  appeared  to  be  cleared  land.  Our  pursuers 
were,  perhaps,  on  a  road  running  beyond  the  swamp. 

It  was  thought  best  to  continue  our  advance. 
This  soon  became  very  difficult,  as  rotten  logs, 
briers,  and  a  miry  bottom  impeded  our  progress  at 
every  step.  We  clung  to  the  small  twigs  at  the 
sides  to  keep  from  miring,  cutting  away  the  briers 
with  our  knives  as  we  advanced.  We  soon  came 
to  fu'nier  footing,  and  for  half  an  hour  did  not  hear 
a  sound  from  our  pursuers. 

Still  wading  in  the  stream,  we  found  a  road  with 
a  low,  narrow  bridge  of  logs  crossing  the  stream. 


342  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

In  order  to  remain  concealed,  and  still  keep  to 
the  water,  so  as  to  give  the  bloodhounds  no  clew, 
we  were  obliged  to  creep  under  the  bridge  on  our 
hands  and  knees. 

Beyond  this  there  was  a  continuation  of  the 
swamp  for  quite  a  distance,  and  then,  on  both  sides 
of  the  brook,  a  large  cornfield.  We  had  no  sooner 
come  out  to  this  cornfield  than  we  again  heard 
the  barking  of  dogs,  the  blowing  of  horns,  and  the 
shouting  of  men. 

The  creek 'here  had  a  hard,  sandy  bottom,  and 
we  made  good  speed  until  we  reached  a  point 
where  the  stream  was  broader  and  was  once 
more  skirted  by  a  tall  fringe  of  undergrowth. 
The  creek  grew  broader  and  deeper  until  we 
could  no  longer  continue  our  course,  except 
by  keeping  to  one  side  of  it,  where,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  the  underbrush,  we  could  advance  quite 
rapidly. 

All  this  time  we  could  occasionally  hear  the 
men  and  dogs.  Suddenly  Moran  stopped,  and, 
seizing  m}^  arm,  said,  — 

"  Hush  I  do  you  not  hear  them  splashing  in  the 
water  ahead  of  us  ?  They  are  following  up  the 
course  of  this  creek." 

We  were  for  an  instant  pretty  badly  frightened. 
Grace,  who  had  been  examining  the  priming  of 
his  musket,  here  coolly  said,  — 

"  There's  a  swampy  place  back  of  us,  where  they 
can't  get  in  with  their  mules  or  horses  ;    let  us  go 


TO   THE  RIVER,  S43 

back  and  stay  there,  and  fight  them  if  they  try  to 
capture  us." 

This  seemed  so  good  apian  that  we  immediately 
adopted  it.  Here  there  was  a  heavy  growth  of 
brush  and  vines  to  shield  us  from  sig^ht.  We  care- 
fully  cut  away  with  our  knives  the  brush  on  one  side, 
and  sat  down  in  the  nook  thus  made,  so  that  any 
one  in  the  stream  below  could  not  see  us.  Here 
we  waited  in  great  suspense  hearing  the  men  and 
dogs  at  times  splashing  in  the  water. 

At  another  time  we  plainly  heard  the  tramp  of 
their  mules  or  horses,  as  they  passed  around  the 
swampy  place  where  we  were  concealed.  Finally 
we  heard  one  of  them  say,  — 

"  They've  got  beyond  this  place,  you  can  see  that 
by  the  broken  twigs." 

Here  we  remained,  however,  some  two  hours 
without  hearing  any  further  sounds  to  indicate  the 
presence  of  men  and  dogs.  We  had  apparently 
outwitted  and  baffled  them. 

I  had  almost  fallen  asleep  when  I  was  aroused  by 
Moran,  who  said,  referring  to  the  hunters,  — 

"  I  guess  they  have  given  up  trying  to  find  us 
by  this  time,  and  we  must  reach  the  river  as  soon 
as  we  can." 

Once  more  we  began  our  journey  through  the 
little  stream,  and  soon  came  out  upon  cleared  land 
where  there  was  no  fringe  of  small  trees  to  shelter 
us  from  sight. 

The  creek  continually  broadened,  and  soon  began 


344  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

to  run  almost  due  south,  while  its  banks  rose  to 
the  height  of  our  heads.  For  some  distance  we 
walked  on  its  banks  until  we  came  to  a  field  of  either 
sorghum  or  sugar-cane.  As  we  passed  through  it 
we  heard  the  voices  of  a  party  of  negro  laborers 
only  a  short  distance  from  us. 

We  overheard  one  of  them  saying,  "  Dey's  all  up 
to  massa's,  di^inking  whiskey,  andmakin'  a  powerful 
talk  'case  dey  carnt  find  dem  Yankees." 

AVe  had  little  doubt  but  that  "  dem  Yankees  " 
referred  to  us. 

Reaching  wooded  portions  of  the  country,  after 
two  or  three  miles  of  travel,  we  were  gladdened  by 
the  sight  of  the  Flint  River.  We  agreed  that  if 
we  were  pursued  to  this  point,  we  would  take  to 
the  river,  even  if  we  had  to  swim. 

Our  fii-st  care  was  to  search  for  a  boat,  or  for 
some  means  of  constructing  a  raft.  This  search 
was  for  some  time  fruitless,  but  at  last  Jed  found 
a  log  and  two  or  three  slabs. 

It  was  too  late  to  construct  a  raft  before  night ; 
and  fearful  lest  the  dogs  might  yet  come  on  our 
track,  we  waded  up  to  our  waists  along  the  edge 
of  the  river,  towing  the  logs  and  slabs  with  us  up 
stream,  for  we  believed  that  any  one  pui^uing  us 
would  naturally  follow  the  river  banks  down  rather 
than  up  the  stream. 

We  must  have  walked  a  mile  in  tliis  manner 
when  we  came  to  a  pine-wood,  where  we  camped 
during  the  night,  one  of  us  keeping  watch  while 


TO   THE  RIVER.  345 

the  rest  slept.  During  the  night  no  sound  but  the 
murmur  of  the  river  or  the  shrill  piping  of  crickets 
could  be  heard. 

Upon  awaking  we  made  a  meal  of  green  corn, 
with  a  little  bacon  and  corn  cake  which  we  found 
in  the  rebel's  haversack. 

In  the  confiscated  bag  there  were  also  a  horn  of 
poAvder,  some  bullets  and  percussion  caps,  and  a 
flint  and  steel  for  kindling  fires. 

We  now  started  out  to  find  more  material  for 
our  raft.  Moran  discovered  several  men  crossing 
the  river  in  a  boat,  and  although  he  could  plainly 
hear  their  voices  could  not  distinguish  what 
they  were  saying,  or  determine  whether  they 
were  in  pursuit  of  us.  He  proposed,  after  the 
party  had  landed,  to  swim  across  the  river  and 
bring  back  the  boat,  thus  gaining  both  the  means 
of  going  down  the  river  and  of  preventing  pur- 
suit. The  rest  of  us  thought  it  doubtful  if  these 
were  the  Anders  on  ville  hunters  ;  and  if  they  were 
not,  the  stealing  of  their  boat  would  give  them  a 
strong  motive  to  pursue  us.  Moran  was,  however, 
so  determined  that  we  finally  consented  to  his 
plan.  After  swimming  the  river  he  could  not  find 
the  boat,  which  had  been  concealed,  but  he  declared 
that  he  had  seen  an  alligator  big  enough  to  swallow 
liim. 

Grace  poked  fun  at  him,  by  suggesting  that 
possibly  the  alligator  had  swallowed  the  boat. 
Grace  and  Jed  w^re  more  successful  in  their  search, 


346  JEL'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  had  found  three  large  pine  logs  lodged  with 
other  di^if twood  in  a  bend  of  the  river,  —  probably 
brought  to  this  point  by  the  spring  freshets  from 
some  saw-mill  up  the  stream. 

With  the  aid  of  our  rope  we  towed  the  logs  to  a 
convenient  point,  and  bringing  up  the  otlier  log 
lashed  them  together,  fastening  them  to  the  slabs 
by  means  of  withes,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  a 
raft  about  eight  feet  wide.  Moran  whittled  one  of 
the  smaller  slabs  into  a  rude  paddle  to  steer  with. 

We  were  very  much  relieved  when  at  last  the 
raft  was  finished,  and  covered  with  limbs  of  pine- 
trees  securely  lashed,  and  the  whole  strewn  with  a 
layer  of  pine  needles  to  make  it  dry  and  comfort- 
able. It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  pushed 
out  into  the  stream  and  began  a  voyage  the  end  of 
which  we  hoped  might  bring  us  once  more  under 
the  old  flag. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

DOWN   THE   RIVER. 

WE  floated  down  the  river  all  night.  Moran 
would  not  intrust  the  steering  of  our  raft 
to  any  one  but  liimself,  and,  grim  and  watchful,  he 
sat  silently  at  the  helm. 

Our  situation  was  so  novel,  and  our  relief  and 
joy  so  great,  now  that  we  were  beyond  pursuit  of 
the  Andersonville  dogs,  that  we  slept  but  little  that 
night. 

The  next  morning  it  began  raining,  so  we  drew 
our  raft  into  a  little  creek,  well  sheltered  from  ob- 
servation, on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 

We  made  a  meagre  breakfast  from  the  food  still 
remaining  in  our  haversack,  and  then,  leaving  Rob- 
inson and  Moran  to  guard  the  raft,  the  rest  of  us 
started  out  to  obtain,  if  possible,  some  food.  We 
carried  the  compass  with  us,  as  without  it  there  was 
danger  of  our  being  unable  to  find  the  raft  again. 

"  If  we  could  only  strike  a  smoke-house,  and  get 
some  ham  or  bacon  !  "  drawled  Grace. 

"  Yes,"  said  Jed,  "  but  we  should  probably  '  strike ' 
some  dogs  and  men  at  the  same  time,  and  that 
might  not  be  so  pleasant." 

We  made  our  way  through  the  pine  woods  for 
347 


348  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

some  distance,  when  we  encountered  a  swamp  of 
tall  reeds,  among  which  briers  were  so  completely 
interwoven  as  to  prevent  our  further  advance.  We 
were  compelled  to  go  around  it,  and  soon  came  out 
into  cultivated  land,  where  there  was  an  immense 
cornfield,  in  every  alternate  row  of  which  were 
planted  pease,  which  grew  luxuriantly. 

Here  we  gathered  all  the  corn  we  could  conven- 
iently carry,  and  on  our  return  each  cut  an  arm- 
ful of  the  tall  reeds,  thinking  that  when  dried  they 
might  be  useful  to  spread  on  our  raft.  On  reach- 
ing the  raft,  as  there  did  not  appear  to  be  much  dan- 
ger of  our  being  discovered,  we  pushed  once  more 
into  the  stream,  and  floated  with  the  current. 

Night  came  once  more,  and,  though  wet  and 
chilled,  we  continued  our  voyage.  The  dark  for- 
ests and  bluffs  on  either  side  the  river  shut  us  in 
like  a  wall,  tlirough  which  the  river  made  its  way, 
reflecting  the  sky  above  like  a  path  of  light.  The 
silence  was  meanwhile  unbroken,  except  by  the 
rippling  of  the  water,  the  monotonous  piping  of  the 
crickets,  or  the  occasional  liooting  of  an  owl. 

We  were  exultant  at  the  thought  that  we  had 
left  the  dreadful  prison  far  behind,  and  were  on  our 
way  to  freedom.  No  incident  of  importance  hap- 
pened during  the  night,  and  as  the  light  of  a  pleas- 
ant morning  came  we  drew  our  raft  into  a  place 
where  it  Avas  well  concealed,  and,  having  appointed 
Jed  to  watch,  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  sleep. 
Jed,  however,  soon  awakened  us,  making  at  the 


DOWN  7 HE  RIVER.  349 

same  time  a  signal  for  silence.  He  had  heard 
voices  and  the  yelping  of  a  dog,  and,  creeping  to 
the  top  of  the  river  bank,  had  seen  a  party  of  men 
and  boys  passing  near  us  along  a  cart  road.  It  was 
apparently  a  hunting  party,  but  as  they  were  not 
mounted  they  evidently  were  not  searching  for  us. 

Fearing,  however,  that  if  this  party  were  to  re- 
turn, some  accident  might  lead  to  our  discovery,  we 
moved  our  raft  to  the  edge  of  a  swamp  which  bor- 
dered the  stream,  about  half  a  mile  below  the  bluff- 
land,  where  we  had  halted.  The  sun  was  very  hot, 
and  this  compelled  us  to  drop  down  stream  once 
more,  that  we  might  be  protected  by  the  shade  of 
trees. 

Thus  we  floated  by  night,  and  foraged  and  slept 
during  the  day. 

It  was  about  a  week  after  this  that  we  had  tied 
our  raft  to  a  tree  in  a  sheltered  bend  of  the  river, 
near  where  a  large  quantity  of  driftwood  had  lodged. 
Two  of  our  party  had  gone  in  search  of  food, 
while  Jed,  Robinson,  and  myself  had  remained  to 
strengthen  the  raft,  which  each  day  needed  some 
repairs. 

Jed,  who  had  gone  out  to  cut  withes  for  this  pur- 
pose, returned  in  a  short  time,  exclaiming,  "  I've 
found  a  boat !  " 

"  Where  ?  "  we  asked  in  chorus. 

"  Bottom  side  up,  among  the  jam  of  driftwood  at 
the  bend  of  the  river  below  us." 

We  were  a  little  incredulous  at  first,  thinking 


350  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

he  had  been  deceived,  but,  accompanying  him, 
found  a  light,  flat-bottomed  scow  boat,  as  he  had 
described.  We  removed  our  clothing,  and,  wading 
into  the  water,  succeeded  after  much  labor  in  dis- 
lodging it  from  the  debris  of  logs  and  limbs.  It 
proved  to  be  about  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  long, 
square  at  both  ends,  but  rounded  up  from  the  bot- 
tom fore  and  aft.  Its  sides  were  made  of  single 
boards,  with  deck  boards  covering  the  stern  and 
bows. 

To  say  that  we  were  much  elated  would  but 
feebly  describe  our  excitement ;  for,  though  we  had 
seen  boats  on  our  route,  we  had  been  kept  from 
taking  them  by  the  fear  of  leaving  traces  of  our 
presence  on  the  river.  In  one  instance  only  had 
we  meddled  with  them,  and  that  when  Moran  had 
taken  an  extra  paddle  from  one. 

Upon  the  return  of  Grace  and  Moran  we  pulled 
the  boat  up,  and  got  the  water  out  of  her.  She  was 
built  of  cypress  boards  about  half  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, strengthened  by  knees  of  cypress  inside.  She 
was  unpainted,  but  her  seams  had  originally  been 
calked,  and  covered  with  pitch. 

We  launched  her  into  the  water  to  test  her  carry- 
ing powers,  and  were  much  chagrined  to  find  that  she 
leaked  so  badly  that  we  should  be  compelled  either 
to  abandon  her,  or  to  spend  much  time  in  making 
repairs.  It  was  quickly  decided  to  do  the  latter. 
Moran  and  Grace,  who  had  thoroughly  scoured  the 
country  for  miles  around  us,  declared  tha,t  we  were 


,iiiL..;,.t  ,t  ..iiiii  iiiiillil 


DOWN   THE  RIVER.  351 

at  least  three  miles  from  either  habitations  or  roads ; 
and,  as  there  was  a  cypress  swamp  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  opposite  our  landing-place,  it  was  pro- 
nounced an  unusually  safe  place  in  which  to  linger. 

It  was  therefore  arranged  that  Jed  and  Grace 
should  act  as  scouts  and  foragers,  while  Moran, 
Robinson,  and  myself  mended  the  boat. 

The  next  morning  we  began  the  work.  Our 
first  procedure  was  to  wash  the  boat  thoroughly, 
inside  and  out,  and  to  remove  the  old  pitch  and 
cotton  still  adhering  to  its  seams.  We  cut  off  a 
piece  of  our  precious  rope  and  picked  it  into  fine 
pieces  for  the  purpose  of  calking. 

The  next  day  we  allowed  our  craft  to  dry  in  the 
sun,  while  we  gathered  a  large  quantity  of  pitch 
from  the  surrounding  pine-trees. 

Up  to  this  time  since  we  had  left  the  prison,  we 
had  neither  built  a  fire  nor  discharged  a  gun.  It 
now  became  necessary  for  us  to  do  both,  as  through 
want  of  skill  or  knowledge  Ave  had  been  unable  to 
get  a  fire  by  means  of  flint  and  steel. 

To  do  this  we  first  removed  the  charge  from  our 
musket,  and  replaced  it  with  a  charge  of  powder, 
with  some  of  the  dry  oakum  or  rope  for  wadding ; 
then,  sprinkling  still  more  of  it  with  powder,  we 
discharged  the  gun  with  its  muzzle  near  this  prep- 
aration, and  soon  had  the  first  fire  that  we  had 
seen  since  leaving  the  prison. 

The  little  cove  where  we  had  pulled  up  our 
boat  was  admirably  adapted  both  for  concealment 


352  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and  for  work.  Tliere  was  a  little  grassy  spot  a 
dozen  rods  square  in  front  of  it,  well  shaded  by  tlie 
arching  limbs  of  trees,  and  gradually  sloping  to  the 
river.  Jed  and  Grace  had  meanwhile  seen  neither 
plantation,  houses,  nor  people,  in  a  scout  of  five 
miles  around  us,  though  they  had  seen  pigs  run- 
ning wild  in  the  woods.  It  was  agreed  that  they 
should  risk  the  effect  of  foing  the  musket  in  order 
to  kill  one  of  these  pigs  for  food. 

Robinson,  who  proved  very  ingenious,  had 
whittled  a  piece  of  hard  wood  into  a  wedge  to  be 
used  for  driving  the  oakum  into  the  seams  of  the 
boat.  I  melted  the  pitch  in  a  half-canteen  which 
had  been  used  by  us  for  cooking  in  prison.  I  first, 
however,  fastened  a  split  stick  to  the  canteen  for  a 
handle,  and  pinched  one  part  of  the  edge  so  as  to 
form  a  nozzle  or  spout,  for  pouring  the  pitch  more 
directly  into  the  seams.  Our  work  progressed 
slowly,  and  after  working  an  entire  day  at  calk- 
ing and  pitcliing  we  had  not  half  finished  the 
work. 

Our  foragers  came  in  that  afternoon  with  a  large 
supply  of  turpentine  for  the  boat,  but  without  pro- 
visions. They  had  seen  but  one  pig,  which,  in 
their  attempt  to  capture  without  shooting,  had 
escaped  them.  They  had,  moreover,  seen  no  signs 
of  houses  or  cultivated  fields,  and  were,  like  our- 
selves, tired  and  hungry. 

We  had  now  cooked  all  of  our  green  corn,  and 
nearly  all  of  our  sweet  potatoes.     Early  the  next 


DOWN  THE  RIVER.  SS3 

morning  we  vigorously  resumed  our  work,  which 
we  nearly  finished  that  day. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  our  scouts 
came  in,  bringing  a  young  pig  which  they  had 
killed  and  dressed  ready  to  cut  up.  We  had 
tliat  night,  it  is  needless  to  say,  a  hearty  meal  of 
the  first  animal  food  we  had  tasted  for  months. 

The  next  day  we  all  went  to  work  on  the  boat, 
and  before  noon  had  finished  our  task,  and  upon 
launching  it  were  delighted  to  find  that  it  did 
not  leak. 

We  now  had  a  very  good  outfit  for  our  voyage. 
There  were  two  paddles,  two  strong  poles  (to  one 
of  ^^'hich  Moran  proposed  to  fit  our  blanket  for  a 
sail),  and  the  articles  hitherto  mentioned. 

We  cooked  pork  enough  to  last  us  several  days, 
thinking  it  would  keep  better  in  that  way.  We 
had  tried  to  cure  some  of  it  by  smoking,  but 
though  we  made  a  great  smoke  we  did  not  succeed 
in  curing  anything  but  ourselves,  of  a  desire  for 
further  experiment. 

Once  more  we  began  our  voyage,  and  floated  all 
night  with  the  stream,  which  we  trusted  might 
prove  our  highway  to  freedom.  Moran  estimated 
that  we  had  come  sixty  or  a  hundred  miles  since 
we  first  started  down  the  river.  In  less  than  a 
week,  therefore,  we  expected  to  arrive  at  the  point 
where  the  river  unites  with  the  Chattahoochee  and 
forms  the  Appalachicola. 

The  next  morning  we  landed,  and  our  whole 


S54  jED-s  AbVENfunns. 

party,  with  the  exception  of  Moran  (whom  we  left 
in  charge  of  the  boat),  started  out  to  procure  more 
food.  We  got  nearly  a  mile  away  from  our  land- 
ing, before  we  discovered  that  we  had  left  our 
compass  behind  us.  The  night  previous  Moran 
had  used  it,  and  we  had  forgotten  to  bring  it. 
Experience  had  taught  us  how  easy  it  was  to  get 
lost,  and  so  we  started  back  for  the  compass.  We 
travelled  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  when  we  found 
that  we  had  lost  our  way  in  the  pine  woods.  We 
finally  came  out  near  a  large  house,  with  its  negro 
quarters.  If  we  had  lost  our  way,  we  had  at  least 
found  a  plantation. 

Fearing  to  be  discovered  by  its  people  we  went 
back  to  a  piece  of  timber  on  some  elevated  land, 
where  Jed,  being  the  keenest  of  sight,  climbed  a 
tree  to  discover  the  direction  of  the  river. 
Although  he  could  not  see  the  river,  yet  he  be- 
lieved by  certain  indications  that  he  had  discov- 
ered the  direction  in  which  it  lay.  We  concluded 
to  fill  our  haversacks  with  green  corn,  a  field  of 
which  was  near  at  hand,  and  to  hurry  back  to 
our  landing-place.  While  thus  engaged  we  heard 
voices,  and  before  we  had  time  for  concealing  our- 
selves, encountered  a  party  of  black  laborers  going 
to  their  work.  Making  a  virtue  of  the  encounter, 
I  asked  them  to  give  us  something  to  eat.  They 
gave  us  a  few  Indian  cakes  Avhich  they  called 
"  pones,"  in  return  for  which  Grace  offered  them 
his  knife,  but  it  was  refused. 


DOW^r  THE  UTVER.  355 

"  No,"  said  an  old  negro,  "  God  bless  yer,  massa! 
We  knows  ye  are  Yanks  by  yer  does.  We  was  up 
at  Anderson  working  on  the  stockade,  and  see  some 
of  you'ns  there.     I  knows  the  Yanks,  I  does." 

*'  You  must  not  let  any  one  know  you  have  seen 
us,"  said  I,  "as  we  are  escaping  from  prison." 

''  If  you  will  go  up  into  them  woods  we'll  bring 
you  some  sweet  potatoes  and  hoe-cake,"  said  the 
black  man. 

This  we  agreed  to,  but  we  kept  a  good  lookout 
to  see  that  they  did  not  betray  us,  for  hard  treat- 
ment at  Andersonville  had  taught  us  to  distrust 
every  one.  In  a  few  minutes  they  came  back, 
bringing  half  a  smoked  ham,  some  Indian  cakes, 
and  nearly  half  a  bushel  of  potatoes. 

They  informed  us  that  the  only  white  people  on 
the  plantation  were  women,  and  one  old  man.  They 
were  very  anxious  to  know  our  opinion  of  how  the 
war  was  going  to  end,  and  if  the  Yankees  conquered 
the  rebels  what  they  would  do  with  the  colored 
people. 

I  explained  the  emancipation  proclamation  to 
them,  and  told  them  that  our  government  had 
pledged  itself  to  give  all  the  slaves  their  freedom. 
That  this  was  not  entirely  new  to  them  was  evi- 
dent, for  the  old  negro  uncovered  his  head,  and, 
reverently  lifting  his  eyes  to  heaven,  said,  "  I'se  be- 
lieve de  Lord  will  lead  our  peo^^le  out  'er  bondage 
to  de  promised  land." 

He  told  us  we  were  in   Decatur  County,  about 


S56  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

twenty  miles  from  Bainbridge,  which  was  "  a  right 
smart  town,  on  a  bluff  at  the  east  side  of  the  river." 
He  pointed  out  our  way  to  the  river,  which  we  soon 
reached,  but  had  so  much  difficulty  in  finding  the 
boat  that  we  resolved  not  to  leave  it  again,  for  any 
but  short  distances,  without  our  compass. 

At  early  twilight  we  resumed  our  voyage,  and 
by  aid  of  the  sail  and  a  fair  wind  passed  through 
the  bluff-land,  around  Bainbridge,  before  daylight 
the  next  morning.  Two  days  after,  without  acci- 
dent, we  reached  the  Appalachicola  River. 

The  Chattahoochee,  uniting  with  the  Flint  River, 
here  forms  the  Appalachicola,  which  is  swift  and 
broad. 

It  was  now  about  the  1st  of  September.  The 
health  of  the  party  was  very  good,  and  we  borrowed 
no  trouble  for  the  future,  for,  as  Grace  philosophi- 
cally remarked,  we  were  likely  to  have  an  ample 
supply  without  borrowing  before  we  reached  our 
lines,  —  a  prophecy  w^hich  was  fulfilled  soonor  than 
we  anticipated. 

That  morning  we  had  brought  our  little  craft  into 
a  bend  of  the  river  where  we  were  but  partially 
sheltered  from  sight ;  and  in  addition  to  this  we 
soon  found  we  were  at  a  sort  of  ferry,  where  peojDle 
were  constantly  passing  from  shore  to  shore  in  boats. 
It  therefore  seemed  equally  dangerous  for  us  to 
remain  where  we  were,  or  to  change  our  position 
until  night. 

Early  in  the  morning  a  jDarty  of  men  and  boys 


DOWN  THE  RIVER.  S57 

had  crossed  to  the  opposite  shore  from  a  point  near 
our  landing ;  and  another  party,  consisting  of  two 
men  and  three  women,  landed  within  fifty  feet  of 
us. 

"  It  won't  do  to  stay  here,"  said  Moran  decidedly, 
while  his  square  jaw  w^orked  in  suppressed  excite- 
ment. "  I  saw  one  of  the  men  look  in  this  direc- 
tion, and  ten  chances  to  one  he  saw  us."  But 
while  this  was  likely,  it  did  not  appear  equally  evi- 
dent that  he  had  recognized  us  as  escaped  Yankee 
prisoners. 

After  a  moment's  reflection,  Moran  started  to- 
wards the  strange  boat,  saying,  "I  am  going  to 
take  the  oars  from  their  boat,  so  when  they  return 
they  can't  follow  us."  While  Jed  expressed  his 
opinion  that  this  w^as  bad  policy,  the  other  members 
of  our  party,  except  Robinson,  sided  wdth  i\Ioran. 

In  addition  to  the  oars  he  found  two  fishing-lines, 
with  hooks  and  sinkers.  I  agreed  with  Moran  that 
if  the  oars  were  taken,  it  was  just  as  well  to  also 
take  these  fish-lines,  as  they  might  prove  of  great 
value  to  us ;  but  Jed  did  not  believe  it  right  or  poli- 
tic to  provoke  antagonism  by  an  unprovoked,  if  not 
a  dishonest,  act. 

We  had  taken  the  things  from  the  strange  boat, 
and  were  all  ready  to  embark  on  our  own,  when 
some  one  sharply  said,  "  Whar  ar  yer  going,  stranger, 
with  my  fixin's  ?  " 

We  turned,  and  on  the  bank  above  us  stood  a 
man  dressed  in  a  well-worn  butternut  suit,  coolly 


S6^  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

sighting  along  the  barrel  of  a  rifle,  which  was  aimed 
at  us. 

Moran,  with  more  presence  of  mincl  than  some 
of  us,  replied,  "  We  are  going  to  visit  some  friends 
up  the  river  a  ways,  and  have  borrowed  your 
paddles.  We  will  bring  'em  back  all  right 
soon." 

•  "  Take  them  fixin's  back  to  my  boat,  stranger," 
said  the  butternut  contestant,  with  an  ominous  and 
rising  inflection  of  voice. 

His  tones  and  manner  were  more  emphatic  of 
anger  and  determination  than  his  words,  and  we 
were  about  to  obey  him  when  the  crack  of  a  rifle 
from  my  rear  rang  out,  wliile  our  enemy  gave  a  yell 
of  pain,  dropped  his  musket,  and  rushed  into  the 
woods.  Grace,  who  was  the  only  one  in  the  boat 
at  the  time  we  were  challenged,  seeing  that  a  crisis 
in  oui-  affairs  had  arrived,  with  inconceivable  quick- 
ness had  seized  and  fired  the  musket.  Moran  mean- 
while rushed  after  the  retreating  rebel,  crying, 
"  Stop  him !     He'll  raise  the  country  if  w^e  don't." 

The  rest  of  us,  who  had  been  dazed  by  this  inci- 
dent, quickly  followed  him ;  but  Grace,  being  very 
swift  of  foot,  soon  caught  up  with  the  citizen, 
whereupon  the  latter,  finding  it  impossible  to  out- 
run him,  clutched  with  Grace,  and  a  hand-to-hand 
struggle  took  place.  Grace  had  liis  antagonist  on 
the  under  side  when  we  came  up. 

"  We  don't  want  to  hurt  you,"  said  Moran. 

"  Look  a  yer,"  said  the  stranger,  holding  up  a 


DOWN  TtiE  RIVER.  S5S 

bleeding  hand  and  arm,  as  if  that  was  a  sufficient 
contradiction  of  Moran's  pacific  statement. 

Upon  examination,  after  he  had  yielded  himself 
a  prisoner,  we  found  that  Grace's  bullet  had  pene- 
trated his  right  hand,  passed  out  and  shattered  the 
arm  near  the  elbow,  and  it  Avas  this  wound  which 
had  caused  him  to  drop  his  musket  so  suddenly. 

We  were  in  great  perplexity  to  determine  what 
to  do  with  our  captive,  and  could  spare  but  little 
time  to  debate  the  question,  as  his  companions 
were  liable  to  return  at  any  moment. 

"The  best  Avay  would  be  to  kill  him,"  said 
Moran,  chewing  at  his  quid  of  tobacco  grimly. 

If  there  is  anything  which  will  dissipate  anger 
or  evil  intent  against  an  enemy,  it  is  to  see  him 
wounded  and  helpless  in  your  hands.  We  could 
not  injure  this  disarmed  man  who  had  so  lately 
been  threatening  us,  and  on  whose  disposal  per- 
haps even  now  our  safety,  if  not  our  lives,  de- 
pended. Grace  proposed  to  take  him  into  the 
boat  with  us  and  set  him  ashore  at  some  point 
below,  where  it  would  be  safe  to  let  him  loose. 

Jed,  who  had  had  some  experience  in  dressing 
wounds,  had  already  begun  to  cut  away  his  sleeve 
and  to  dress  the  wound,  which  was  bleeding  pro- 
fusely. We  finally  tied  his  legs  together,  and 
the  uninjured  arm  to  his  side,  and  left  him  in 
the  path  to  the  river,  near  his  boat.  We  then 
took  his  ammunition  and  rifle,  and,  pushing  his 
boat  adi'ift  in  the  stream,  embarked  in   our  own 


§60  JED'S  ADVElNfUMS. 

boat,  and  paddled  rapidly  to  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river. 

I  had  forgotten  to  say  that  the  wounded  man 
had  promised  us  that  if  we  would  not  put  a  gag 
in  his  mouth  he  would  not  call  out;  but  we 
had  scarcely  reached  the  opposite  shore  when  he 
began  to  yell  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

A  moment  later  we  heard  a  commotion  on  the 
shore  we  had  left,  and  saw  two  men  running  along 
the  bank,  and  in  a  short  time  a  boat  put  out  from 
the  shore,  paddled  apparently  by  the  same  two  men. 
We  worked  with  all  our  might  to  keep  out  of  gun- 
shot range  of  them.  P'or  some  reason,  notwith- 
standing they  had  but  two  men  against  our  four 
at  the  paddles,  they  began  to  gain  on  us  in  the 
chase. 

Moran,  however,  observing  that  a  good  breeze 
had  sprung  up  in  the  direction  we  were  going,  set 
our  sail  and  steered  ;  while  Robinson  and  I  worked 
at  the  paddles,  Jed  and  Grace  loaded  the  muskets 
for  a  possible  fight. 

Moran  and  Grace  were  for  stopping  to  fight  our 
pursuers,  but  more  temperate  counsel  prevailed. 
In  a  short  time  our  boat  began  gaining  on  our  pur- 
suers, who,  seeing  this,  put  back  to  the  shore, 
while  we  continued  our  voyage.  We  had  misgiv- 
ings that  the  country  around  us  might  be  aroused, 
for  it  was  broad  daylight,  and  we  were  likely  to 
have  other  encounters  on  the  river.  We  had  no 
choice,  however,  except  to  make  all  speed  possible, 


DOWN  THE  RIVER.  361 

as  the  iDeople  on  the  river  below  were  liable  to  be 
aroused  to  hunt  and  capture  us. 

We  were  so  fortunate  as  not  to  be  molested  dur- 
ing the  day,  though  we  passed  near  a  small  sailing 
craft  in  the  afternoon.  We  sailed  and  paddled  all 
the  following  night,  but  did  not  cover  as  long  a  dis- 
tance as  we  ordinarily  had  done,  as  we  had  now 
reached  the  tide  waters  of  the  Appalachicola,  which 
set  against  us  part  of  the  time.  We  estimated  the 
distance  made  when  morning  dawned,  as  thirty 
miles. 

As  daylight  came  on  we  brought  our  boat  into  a 
heavily  wooded  portion  of  the  shore,  where  we 
determined  to  wait  and  rest  during  the  day. 

On  nearing  the  river  coast  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  borders  of  a  dense  cypress  swamp  which 
apparently  extended  for  miles  below  and  a  long 
distance  above  us. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  NEST  IN   THE   CYPRESS. 


E  slowly  paddled  along  the  borders  of  the 
swamp,  looking  for  a  firm  landing-place,  but 


w 

for  a  time  the  ground  was  too  boggy  and  uncertain 
to  make  this  practicable.  As  it  became  lighter, 
however,  we  made  our  way  into  a  sort  of  bayou 
which  cleft  the  swamp,  and  seemingly  ran  almost 
parallel  with  the  river,  which,  by  following  a  short 
distance,  brought  us  finally  to  a  good  landing. 

This  landing  proved  to  be  a  large  hummock 
forming  a  small  island  in  the  swamp,  from  which 
grew  several  trees  of  the  oak  species.  From  this 
island  or  hummock,  an^  also  from  the  smaller 
hassocks  of  the  swamp,  on  its  sides,  there  clam- 
bered a  wilderness  of  luxuriant  vines  into  the 
interlinked  and  spreading  cypress  limbs  above. 

These  trees,  for  even  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from 
the  ground  upward,  were  bare  of  limbs,  and  then 
spread  out  in  a  dense  mass,  through  which  the  vines 
were  interwoven. 

After  exploring  among  the  cypress-trees,  which 

were  surrounded  with  water  to  the  depth  of  several 

feet,  we  landed  on  the  island.    Here  we  ate  a  hearty 

breakfast  from  our  almost  exhausted  stock  of  pro- 

362 


A  NEST  IN  THE  CY'PRESS.  363 

visions,  and,  having  pulled  up  our  boat,  lay  down 
to  sleep,  for  we  were  very  tired. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  I  was  awakened  by  a 
horrified  cry  from  one  of  our  party,  which  brought 
us  to  our  feet.  The  cause  of  the  alarm  proved 
to  be  the  approach  of  several  alligators,  now 
clumsily  making  their  way  back  into  the  current  of 
the  bayou,  leaving  behind  them  an  unpleasant  odor 
not  unlike  musk.  Though  we  had  seen  a  number 
of  these  repulsive  reptiles  since  we  had  begun  our 
voyage,  we  had  not  before  met  them  as  neighbors. 

This  incident  led  us  to  explore  still  farther  the 
interior  of  the  swamp,  in  our  boat,  in  l^pes  to  find 
a  retreat  more  secure  against  these  intruders,  and 
safer  from  any  search  which  might  possibly  be  made 
for  us.  We  paddled  our  way  among  the  cypress- 
trees  whose  branches  overspread  our  heads,  and 
whose  massive  trunks  formed,  as  it  were,  pillars 
to  the  interwoven  canoi:)y  of  branches  and  vines 
above  us. 

We  had  advanced  several  hundred  feet,  when 
our  boat  could  go  no  farther  on  account  of  huge 
cypress  knees  and  roots ;  while  just  beyond  large 
vines  grew  f^m  the  hassocks,  of  still  greater  size 
and  profusion,  so  as  completely  to  shut  out  the  sight 
of  the  sky.  Moran,  with  a  sailor's  instinct,  climbed 
up  one  of  the  smaller  of  the  straight  cypress-trees 
to  obtain  an  outlook.  To  do  this  he  was  obliged 
to  use  his  knife  to  cut  aAvay  the  vines  wlien  he 
reached  the  cypress  limbs,  sq  as  to  admit  his  body. 


364  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

An  exclamation  of  wonder  escaped  him  when  he 
had  reached  the  top.  He  explained  to  us  below 
that  the  vines  and  limbs  together  had  formed  a 
thick,  level  mass,  and  from  his  outlook  he  could 
see  what  appeared  to  be  cultivated  lands.  This 
excited  our  curiosity  so  much  that  all  of  us  but 
Robinson  climbed  to  the  tops  of  the  trees  to  take 
a  look  for  ourselves. 

We  found,  as  Moran  had  said,  a  wonderful  mass 
of  vines  interwoven  with  the  branches  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  supported  the  weight  of  our 
bodies,  and  enabled  us  with  little  difficulty  to  pass 
from  the  top  of  one  tree  to  that  of  another  by 
their  aid. 

As  we  were  about  to  descend  to  the  ground,  Jed, 
who  had  been  climbing  from  tree  to  tree,  called  out 
to  us  that  he  had  found  a  place  so  densely  plaited 
that  he  believed  we  could  live  on  the  tops  of  the 
trees.  When  we  came  to  the  spot  we  found  it 
indeed  a  wonderful  plateau  of  branches  and  vines, 
so  level  and  compact  that  we  could  almost  walk  on 
it.  Moran  looked  the  place  over  critically,  and 
said,  — 

"  We  are  in  search  of  a  hiding-place,  and  we 
have  found  it.  Let  us  make  this  place  still  more 
level  and  strong,  and  sleep  and  hide  here  until 
the  chance  of  our  being  waylaid  on  the  river  is 
over." 

We  all  agreed  to  this  proposition,  and  began  at 
once  the  task.     We  interwoye  still  more  closely 


A  NEST  IN  THE   CYPRESS.  365 

the  vines  with  the  limbs  of  the  cypress,  cut  them 
away  in  places,  and  laid  others  from  the  crotch  of 
the  cypress-trees  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  quite 
safe.  The  next  day  we  resumed  our  work,  and 
continued  it  from  day  to  day,  until  we  had  about 
ten  feet  square  very  strong  and  level.  This  we 
enclosed  with  a  rude  but  strong  railing  of  vines 
and  cypress  limbs,  and  also  covered  the  plateau 
with  a  thick  bed  of  Spanish  moss  gathered  from 
the  trees,  where  it  hung  in  heavy  festoons.  On 
one  side  of  this  plateau,  where  a  few  limbs  of  a 
tall  cypress  projected  above  the  surrounding  level, 
we  built  a  shelter  from  the  sun  with  vines,  covered 
it  with  moss,  using  the  branches  of  the  trees  for 
framework. 

We  had  now  a  secure  retreat,  where  we  could 
sleep,  and  where  it  would  be  difficult  for  an  enemy 
to  come  at  us,  even  had  they  known  of  our  pres- 
ence there.  We  then  fastened  our  rope  to  the  top 
of  the  plateau,  and  Avith  some  of  the  longest  vines 
made  a  ladder  for  easy  ascent,  and  v/hich  might 
also  be  di^awn  up  after  us  when  we  had  reached 
the  top. 

We  now  needed  only  some  sure  means  of  subsist- 
ence to  make  this  a  safe  dwelling-place  as  long  as 
we  chose  to  remain.  To  make  access  to  our  habi- 
tation more  complete,  we  built  a  platform  around 
the  roots  of  a  huge  cypress  near  this  as  a  landing- 
place  for  our  boat.  This  was  easy  of  construction, 
as  the  cypress  mounds  and  roots  gave  a  foundation 


JED'S  ADVENTURES. 


on  which  to  lash  limbs.  These  we  fastened  with 
small  vines  made  pliable  by  beating,  until  they 
were  an  excellent  substitute  for  ropes.  From  this 
wharf  we  constructed  a  passage-way  for  about 
twenty  feet  over  the  slippery  cypress  knees  and 
roots  to  our  ladder.  This  work  was  done  from 
time  to  time,  and  occupied  several  days. 

With  the  exception  of  about  two  pounds  of  ham, 
mostly  fat,  and  a  few  potatoes,  our  provisions  Avere 
now  exhausted,  and  hunger  demanded  a  speedy 
supply. 

Early  next  morning  we  Avent  up  stream  with 
our  boat,  to  forage  for  food.  We  did  not  find  a 
plantation,  as  we  had  been  led  to  think  we  should 
by  seeing,  from  our  nest,  indications  of  cleared  land 
near  at  hand.  Baffled  in  this,  we  returned  and 
paddled  up  the  main  stream,  but  finding  nothing 
but  swamps  for  nearly  two  miles,  came  back,  much 
discouraged  and  very  hungry,  to  the  oak  hummock 
or  island,  where  we  had  made  our  first  landing, 
and  where  we  intended  to  do  our  cooking.  On 
returning  we  had  at  first  missed  the  bayou,  and  this 
delaj^ed  us  till  nearly  noon.  Jed  began  to  dig  on  the 
hassock  for  worms,  and  finally  succeeded  in  finding 
some  for  bait,  though  not  the  kind  we  call  angle- 
worms. We  tried  fishing  in  the  bayou,  but  did  not 
catch  anything ;  and  finally  cast  our  lines  in  the 
river  near  the  mouth  of  the  bayou.  Here  we 
caught  a  fish  about  fifteen  inches  in  length,  with 
white  belly,  steel  gray  back,  and  lines   of    rosy 


A  NEST  IN  THE  CYPRESS.  367 

brown  on  the  sides,  which  Moran  said  was  a 
mullet ;  also  several  smaller  ones  like  perch.  We 
now  returned  to  the  island  to  cook  our  fish.  We 
kindled  a  blaze  by  firing  our  gun  into  some  dry 
leaves  and  oakum  sprinkled  with  powder,  and  soon 
had  a  good  fire  ;  we  then  fried  our  fish  in  our  half- 
canteen.  Hunger  is  the  best  of  sauces,  and  the  fish 
seemed  the  most  delicious  of  anything  we  ever  ate. 
Replenishing  the  fire  with  boughs,  to  prevent  its 
going  out,  we  returned  to  the  nest. 

On  ascending  to  our  retreat  in  the  cypress, 
Moran  ascertained  by  aid  of  our  pocket  compass 
that  the  bayou,  instead  of  running  nearly  parallel 
with  the  river,  as  we  had  supposed,  enclosed  a  tri- 
angular-shaped peninsula,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
which  were  the  cultivated  fields  to  be  seen  from 
our  nest,  and  which  we  had  tried  to  reach.  These 
fields  were  apparently  surrounded  with  swamps, 
and  were  not,  as  far  as  we  could  discern,  approach- 
able from  the  river. 

The  next  day,  Jed  and  Grace,  after  landing  us 
on  a  hummock  on  the  river,  went  in  search  of  food 
with  the  boat.  It  was  late  when  they  returned 
with  the  haversack  and  the  lining  of  Jed's 
jacket  filled  with  sweet  potatoes  and  a  few  ears  of 
hard  and  rather  poor  corn.  They  had  obtained 
this  supply  at  a  plantation  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  two  miles  above  us,  but  were  of  the  opin- 
ion that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  return  there,  as 
they  had  been  seen  by  the  negroes,  and  after  reach- 


368  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

ing  the  boat,  had  heard  hounds  yelping  as  if  in 
pursuit.  That  night  we  cooked  an  appetizing 
meal,  on  the  hummock,  which  we  used  as  a  kitchen, 
and  were  well  pleased,  as  a  whole,  with  our  day's 
adventures. 

A  few  days  after  this,  while  Grace  was  explor- 
ing among  the  vine-matted  cypress  limbs,  he  dis- 
covered beneath  him  a  ridge  of  hassock  land 
running  towards  the  clearing  which  we  had 
believed  to  be  a  plantation.  He  thought  we  might 
be  able,  as  he  said,  to  "open  up  communication 
with  its  sweet  potatoes,"  and  thus  obtain  a  sure 
supply  of  food. 

Armed  with  our  tAVO  muskets,  which  we  kept 
with  our  blankets  at  our  nest,  we  advanced  some 
hundreds  of  yards  on  the  vine-covered  plateau, 
until  below  us  was  the  line  of  hassocks  or  oak 
hummocks  which  Jed  had  described. 

The  hassocks  were  mostly  firm  and  dry.  The 
briers  and  vines  were  the  worst  impediment  to  our 
advance,  as  they  were  so  thick  and  tangled  that  we 
were  obliged  to  cut  our  way  through  them  with 
our  knives. 

A  few  hundred  yards  advance,  with  only  occa- 
sional swampy  bottom,  brought  us  out  of  the 
swamp  to  fii'mer  ground,  whence  we  easily  reached 
the  cleared  land.  At  one  point  we  had  found 
it  convenient  to  turn  over  from  our  path,  by 
a  device  of  Moran's,  a  tangled  mass  of  vines,  which 
could  be  dropped  into  place  again,  if  desirable,  and 


A  NEST  IN  THE  CYPRESS,  369 

thus  shut  off  the  patli.  We  found  corn,  though  it 
was  not  very  good  for  roasting,  and  -plenty  of 
sweet  potatoes.  This  was,  fortunately,  at  a  part 
of  the  plantation  remote  from  its  buildings,  and 
where  we  were  in  no  great  danger  of  being  discov- 
ered. We  were  careful  not  to  disturb  the  vines 
when  digging  the  potatoes,  and  broke  down  but 
a  few  roasting  ears  in  any  one  place.  In  returning 
we  had  replaced  the  barricade  of  tangled  vines  in 
its  place  in  our  path,  and  on  ascending  to  the  pla- 
teau on  the  tree  tops,  pulled  up  the  vines  by  which 
we  had  ascended,  having  first  cut  them  from  the 
roots.  We  also  took  the  precaution  of  cutting 
away  all  similar  vines,  so  that,  if  we  were  ever 
pursued,  there  would  be  no  means  of  following  us, 
or  clew  to  our  escape,  after  we  had  reached  the 
plateau.  We  now  viewed  our  position  with  much 
satisfaction.  If  we  liad  had  wings  we  could  not 
have  more  effectually  shut  off  all  means  of  pur- 
suit. 

During  all  this  time  we  usually  kept  our  boat  at 
the  little  platform  at  the  foot  of  the  cypress,  and 
in  it  went  back  and  forth  to  cook  our  food,  and  eat 
it  on  the  island,  where,  since  we  first  kindled  our 
fire,  we  had  not  allowed  it  to  go  out. 

We  passed  our  time  in  perfecting  our  nest  in 
the  cypress  ;  also  in  fishing,  and  exploring  the 
swamp  for  wild  limes  and  oranges.  The  alligators 
which  were  seen  in  the  bayous  were,  unless  stirred 
up  too  familiarly,  more  repulsive  than  dangerous, 


370     -  jnD'S  ADVtlNTURES. 

and  we  became  accustomed  to  their  occasional 
presence.  We  soon  had  a  good  stock  of  food, 
consisting  of  3'ams,  potatoes,  and  fish,  and  a  few 
wild  limes  and  sour  oranges,  which  were  sometimes 
found  on  the  hummocks. 

For  three  weeks  we  passed  our  time  in  happy 
content.  Robinson,  who  seldom  went  on  excursions 
with  us,  thatched  the  roof,  made  for  shade,  so  that 
it  became  a  protection  against  rain ;  made  a  com- 
fortable bed  of  moss,  also  seats  and  a  rude  table  of 
woven  vines,  where  we  often  ate  our  food. 

We  should  have  been  contented  to  remain 
here  for  months  had  not  an  event  occurred  which 
disturbed  our  tranquillity  and  safety.  While  Jed 
and  Grace  were  prospecting  on  the  plantation, 
armed  with  the  guns,  they  fired  at  a  pig  which  had 
w^andered  into  the  cypress  swamp.  The  pig  was 
wounded,  and  ran  squealing,  with  our  boys  in  close 
pursuit,  in  the  direction  of  the  plantation.  They 
were  so  eager  in  the  chase  that,  as  Grace  tersely 
said,  they  did  not  notice  that  they  had  gone  too  far 
from  their  base  before  they  ran  into  a  white  man, 
who,  while  seemingly  friendly,  had  followed  and 
questioned  them  as  to  where  they  belonged. 
Grace,  according  to  Jed's  account,  had  put  a  stop 
to  his  interrogation  by  a  significant  motion  wdth 
his  musket,  and  by  saying  in  his  drawling  tones,  — 

"I  sa}^,  old  man,  if  jom  don't  go  home  right  off, 
yer  folks'll  get  lonesome." 

Upon  hearing  this  mcident  w^e  all  agreed  that  it 


A   NEST  7iV  THE   CYPRESS.  371 

would  thereafter  be  uncomfortable  if  not  danger- 
ous to  draw  furtlier  rations  from  the  potato  ridges 
and  cornfields  of  that  plantation. 

"  They  can't  find  us  here,  nor  get  at  us  if  they 
do,"  said  IVIoran,  ^'  but  they  will  make  us  uncom- 
fortable." 

It  was  not  two  hours  after,  that  we  heard  the 
baying  of  the  bloodhounds  outside  the  swamp. 
They  even  came  into  the  swamp  for  a  considerable 
distance  with  the  dogs,  and  then  turned  back,  appar- 
ently baffled. 

"We  had  no  fears  that  they  could  reach  us,  but, 
as  our  days  of  peace  and  contentment  were  at  an 
end  here,  we  agreed  that  it  was  time  to  resume  our 
voyage  down  the  river.  We  were,  however,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  hurried  or  driven.  Moran  sug- 
gested that  we  return  in  a  body  to  the  plantation 
once  more  to  obtain  potatoes  and  corn,  in  order  to 
be  well  provisioned  for  tlie  journey.  The  plan 
was  opposed  by  Robinson,  but  was  nevertheless 
adopted.  They  had  apparently  abandoned  the 
search  and  pursuit  for  the  day,  and  were  possibly 
rallying  their  neighbors  to  hunt  us  on  the  morrow. 
We  therefore  concluded  to  make  a  strategic  move- 
ment on  their  potato  patch  that  afternoon.  Armed 
with  our  muskets  we  boldly  returned,  gathered 
corn  and  dug  potatoes,  and  were  on  our  way  home. 
Jed  was  carrpng  the  haversack  full  of  potatoes, 
while  ]Moran  and  myself  had  a  miscellaneous  assort- 
ment of  potatoes,  corn,  beans,  and  other  vegetables 


872  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

tied  in  a  blanket,  which  we  were  carrying  together. 
Suddenly  I  heard  a  sound  which  made  my  heart 
jump. 

It  Avas  the  deep  bay  of  a  bloodhound.  On  we 
dashed  towards  the  swamp,  while  Jed  and  Grace 
with  the  muskets  covered  our  retreat.  We  ran 
towards  a  triangle  formed  by  a  fence,  which  was 
one  of  our  landmarks,  but  before  scaling  it  we 
looked  back  ;  Jed  and  Grace  were  not  in  sight,  and 
the  sound  of  dogs  meanwhile  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  Grasping  once  more  our  blanket  of  pota- 
toes, we  ran  on,  the  dogs  still  following  us. 

A  pack  of  dogs  is  usually  made  up  of  two  or 
three  formidable  savage  dogs,  while  the  others  are 
often  fox  dogs  or  any  other  keen-scented  canines. 
Any  dog  will  follow  a  man  if  trained  to  it.  What 
were  we  to  do? 

"  ril  fight,  but  I  won't  run  an}-  farther,"  said 
Moran,  while  his  square,  determined  jaw  came 
together  almost  with  a  snap,  and  he  dropped  his 
end  of  the  blanket.  The  dogs  were  now  close 
upon  us,  and  two  mounted  men  were  at  the  fence 
following.  They  stopped  to  take  it  down.  Just 
then  the  dogs  broke  upon  us  in  full  cry,  and  lead- 
ing them  was  the  largest  Cuban  bloodhound  I  ever 
saw.     I  turned  to  run. 

"  Stop  !  "  said  Moran,  and,  catching  hold  of  the 
blanket  of  potatoes  as  the  foremost  dog  came  at 
him,  hurled  it  at  him  with  prodigous  force.  It 
struck  the  brute  squarely,  and  turned  him  end  over 


A  NEST  IN  THE   CYPRESS.  37B 

end.  The  whole  pack  of  clogs  now  slunk  back. 
Once  more  we  turned  to  run,  but  not  without  our 
potatoes.  The  mounted  men  catching  sight  of  us 
at  this  instant,  rode  up  yelling  furiously. 

We  had  now  reached  the  edge  of  the  swamp ; 
meanwhile,  the  dogs  and  the  mounted  men  were  in 
such  close  pursuit  that  escape  seemed  impossible. 
Just  at  this  instant  a  musket  shot  was  heard  from 
the  swamp,  and  down  went  a  rider  and  horse. 
The  dogs  were,  however,  upon  us  again.  I  grasped 
my  hat  from  my  head,  and,  muffling  my  hand, 
thrust  it  out  for  a  dog  to  snap  at.  He  jumped 
for  my  hand,  when  I  struck  full  at  his  throat 
with  my  knife,  and  the  blood  spurted  out  in  my 
face. 

"  Good  I  "  said  Moran,  excitedly  adopting  the 
same  tactics,  but  the  dogs  had  now  cowardly  slunk 
away  from  further  encounter. 

A  few  steps  more  and  we  came  to  the  barrier  of 
briers,  where  we  found  the  other  membei's  of  our 
party.  This  barrier  was  passed  and  thrown  back 
into  the  path,  and  we  were  soon  secure  in  the 
cypress-trees  ^vith  all  our  plunder.  We  heard  our 
pursuers  when  they  reached  the  barrier  of  briers 
and  vines,  and  heard  theii'  dogs  beyond  it  in  the 
swamp,  but  we  knew  we  were  secure  at  least  for  a 
season. 

That  afternoon,  after  cooking  a  large  quantity  of 
food,  Ave  sorrowfully  bade  good-by  to  our  nest  in 
the  cypress,  and  with  everything  belonging  to  our 


B74  JET)'S  ADVENTURES. 

party  securely  packed  in  our  boat,  resumed  our 
voyage  down  the  river. 

Our  boat  was  now  well  stocked  with  provisions ; 
we  had  a  large  number  of  baked  potatoes  and  about 
a  bushel  of  raw  ones,  over  thirty  ears  of  corn,  as 
well  as  a  full  half-bushel  of  peanuts,  gathered  that 
day. 

A  voyage  of  two  nights  brought  us  to  what 
proved  to  be  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
During  the  trip  we  had  not  been  able  to  make  a 
landing,  as  cypress  swamps  extended  on  both  sides 
of  us.  Here,  however,  we  landed,  as  the  island  was 
high  and  sandy,  and  covered  Avith  pine  woods,  and 
seemingly  uninhabited.  During  the  two  days  and 
nights  preceding,  we  had  experienced  some  dis- 
comfort for  want  of  Avater,  but  here  found  a  good 
supply. 

With  the  exception  of  Robinson,  we  were  now 
all  in  vigorous  health.  The  vegetable  diet  and 
wild  limes  and  oranges  had  cured  us  of  the  scurvy, 
which  afflicted  us  while  prisoners,  and  we  now  felt 
strong  in  the  resolution  to  bring  our  voyage  to  a 
successful  teiTuination. 

A  life  of  peril  makes  men  brave,  quick-witted, 
and  inclined  to  make  the  best  of  adverse  fortune. 
Discontent  and  worry,  I  have  often  thought  since, 
come  only  to  those  who  move  in  the  calm  of  life, 
rather  than  in  its  troubled  places.  We  borrowed 
no  trouble,  but  were  content  with  what  trouble  we 
had. 


A  NEST  m  THE  CYPRESS.  875 

We  remained  here  during  the  day,  and  then,  de- 
siring to  come  to  the  farther  end  of  the  island  in 
order  to  get  a  better  outlook  for  any  of  our  block- 
ading squadron,  which  jNIoran  thought  might  be 
cruising  in  the  bay,  we  resumed  our  voyage.  Our 
map  showed  us  that  the  west  fork  of  the  river 
would  carry  us  perilously  near  the  town  of  Appa- 
lachicola.  We  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  seek  the 
acquaintance  of  its  people,  and  therefore  determined 
to  go  down  the  east  fork  of  the  river. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA  BAY. 

IT  was  a  moonlight  night  when,  with  a  favoring 
breeze  and  an  outgoing  tide,  we  steered  our 
craft  down  the  east  fork  of  the  AppaLachicola  River. 
We  were  borne  so  rapidly  towards  the  southern 
limit  of  the  island  that  we  had  not  prepared  for 
landing  before  we  were  swept  away  by  the  tide  and 
current,  which  here  ran  like  a  mill-race.  Though 
we  worked  hard  at  the  paddles,  we  could  not  resist 
the  force  that  swept  us  on.  Even  Moran,  accus- 
tomed to  boats,  exclaimed  in  dismay,  ''We  are  be- 
ing carried  out  to  sea  I  "  So,  breathless  with  hard 
work  and  excitement,  one  by  one  we  dropped  our 
paddles,  and  despondently  watched  the  receding 
shore.  "  If  we  had  a  good  supply  of  water  it  would 
not  be  so  bad,"  said  Moran. 

This  was  a  new  cause  for  alarm,  which  the  in- 
creasing roughness  of  the  sea  did  not  diminish. 

Jed,  who  had  remained  silent  and  thoughtful 
during  this  time,  here  said,  "We  are  in  God's 
hands,  who  has  delivered  us  out  of  many  perils.  It 
seems  to  me  there  is  no  cause  for  alarm.  The  map 
shows  there  are  islands  off  the  mouth  of  this  river, 

376 


ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA   BAY.         377 

which  in  any  case  we  shall  have  to  reach,  in  order 
to  be  near  incoming  vessels,  and  it  is  as  good  a  time 
for  us  to  get  there  now  as  any." 

''  I  didn't  think  of  that,"  said  Moran. 

It  was  astonishing  what  a  revulsion  of  feeling 
came  with  the  uttering  of  these  sensible  words, 
and  it  illustrates  how  the  faith  and  hopeful  courage 
of  one  man  will  sometimes  inspire  his  comrades  in 
trials.  The  sail  was  soon  set,  the  points  of  the 
compass  ascertained,  and  the  paddles  resumed. 

The  height  of  the  waves  had  at  first  alarmed  us ; 
but  as  Moran  declared  there  was  no  danger,  and 
that  the  boat  was  of  a  build  not  easily  upset  or 
swamped,  we  soon  ceased  to  fear. 

Several  hours  of  paddling,  sailing,  and  drifting 
succeeded,  until  we  could  see  no  land  on  either 
side  of  us.  To  add  to  our  uncertainty,  the  moon 
went  down  behind  a  western  cloud,  and  we  could 
no  longer  steer  by  the  points  of  the  compass.  A 
heavy,  chopping  sea,  meanwhile,  made  it  impossible 
to  paddle  to  any  practical  purpose.  The  wind  still 
remained  in  our  favor,  though  the  tide  set  against 
us,  and  produced  the  rough  sea  in  which  the  boat 
was  laboring,  and  which  kept  us  uncomfortably 
wet. 

When  daylight  came  we  had  passed  beyond  this 
sea,  and  saw  before  us  a  long  stretch  of  low  land, 
about  two  miles  away.  We  now  took  down  our 
sail,  for  fear  it  might  attract  attention,  and  by 
paddling  soon  got  out  of  the  tide. 


378  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

We  found  the  shore  low,  and,  coasting  along  for 
a  favorable  landing,  came  at  last  to  a  little  creek. 
Here  Ave  landed,  and,  while  one  of  our  j)arty  was 
left  in  charge  of  the  boat,  the  others  went  in  search 
of  fresh  water,  and  also  to  see  what  kind  of  a 
country  Ave  had  landed  in.  The  water  was  very 
clear  and  inviting,  and  on  our  return  from  pros- 
pecting we  refreshed  ourselves  with  a  bath. 

At  one  place,  where  there  was  a  mass  of  the  shell 
rock  peculiar  to  this  coast,  Ave  discovered  some 
oysters,  and  gathered  a  large  number,  from  Avhich 
Ave  made  a  luxurious  breakfast.  We  found  them 
also  in  clumps  of  a  dozen  or  so  on  the  clay 
bottom. 

We  noAV  pulled  up  our  boat,  and,  the  sun  being 
quite  hot,  turned  it  three-quarters  over  and  propped 
it  up  for  a  slielter.  We  took  the  precaution,  hoAV- 
ever,  to  stick  up  bushes  around  the  boat,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  concealment  and  of  protec- 
tion from  the  sun.  As  Ave  Avere  very  tired  Avith 
our  night  of  excitement  and  labor,  Ave  noAv  Av^ent  to 
sleep  under  the  shade  of  the  boat. 

The  name  of  the  country  Ave  had  landed  in  Avas 
unknoAvn  to  us,  though  we  believed  we  Avere  on 
one  of  the  several  islands  Avhicli  here  form  a  break- 
Avater  or  harbor  at  the  mouth  of  the  Appalachicola 
River. 

Upon  aAA^aking  from  our  slumbers,  aa^c  started 
out  once  more  on  a  voyage  of  discover}^  Taking 
a  southerly  direction  Ave  travelled  about  a  mile, 


ON  THE  APPALACIIICOLA  BAY.         379 

which  brought  us  to  the  open  Gulf,  where  a  low 
surf  was  rolling  in  upon  the  shore,  and  Avhere 
before  us  the  sea  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach. 

As  Moran  gazed  on  this  sea,  he  said,  "  Here  is 
where  we  ought  to  be  with  our  boat.  Our  block- 
ading squadron  has  vessels  cruising  along  this 
coast,  and  any  sail  may  prove  a  friendly  one." 

We  found  the  land  mostly  wooded  with  pine  of 
good  growth,  and,  m  returning,  came  in  sight  of  a 
cultivated  field  of  corn,  which  we,  howevei',  did 
not  think  it  prudent  to  disturb  at  that  time. 

After  considerable  discussion  it  was  agreed  that 
as  the  tide  began  to  ebb  at  about  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  as  the  nights  were  moonlit,  it 
would  be  a  good  plan  to  make  use  of  these  advan- 
tages to  reach  the  gulf  or  ocean  side  of  this  cape 
or  island  where  we  had  landed.  So,  after  a  hearty 
supper  of  delicious  oysters,  we  once  more  launched 
our  little  craft.  The  wind,  as  it  came  from  the 
northeast,  was  not  very  favorable  for  our  voyage, 
but,  by  paddling  along  the  shore,  w^e  had  made 
satisfactory  progress  when  daybreak  came.  As  we 
were  not  very  tired,  after  a  good  nap  we  for  an 
anchor  tied  a  piece  of  shell  rock  to  our  rope  which 
we  used  as  a  cable,  and  began  fishing.  We  caught 
several  Spanish  mackerel  and  also  a  mullet,  which 
proved  to  be  delicious  eating. 

To  make  a  fire  we  Avere  obliged  once  more  to 
discharge  our  gun,  and,  needing  fuel,  collected  it 


380  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

from  a  wooded  knoll  near  by.  We  soon  liad  a 
hearty  meal  of  fish,  oysters,  and  baked  sweet  pota- 
toes. 

After  this  there  crept  over  us  such  a  sense  of 
contentment  that  we  agreed  to  remain  here  for 
several  days,  keep  our  fire  going,  and  eat,  sleep, 
and  rest. 

In  furtherance  of  this  purpose  we  revisited  the 
wooded  knoll  for  dry  limbs,  when  we  encountered 
a  man  who  had  apparently  been  watching  us. 

"  Heard  a  gun,  and  thought  I'd  come  out  and 
see  what  was  going  on,"  said  the  stranger,  rising 
from  the  ground  where  he  had  been  seated. 

We  now  saw  that  he  had  a  wooden  leg,  and  that 
his  clothing  was  composed  in  part  of  Confederate 
gray.  He  was  very  communicative,  had  a  good- 
natured  face,  and  informed  us  that  Ave  were  on  the 
island  of  St.  George,  and  that  he  had  been  a  Con- 
federate soldier. 

"  I  lost  that  leg  at  Gettysburg  where  you'un 
Yanks  fought  we'uns  three  days."  Seeing  me  ex- 
change looks  with  Moran,  he  said,  ''  I  knew  you'ns 
was  Yanks  as  soon  as  I  saw  you.  I  don't  knoAV 
what  3' ou  are  doing  heie,  and  I  ain't  going  to  ask. 
I  might  arrest  ye  if  I  was  in  the  service,  but  I  am 
done  soldiering." 

We  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a  one-legged  man 
without  weapons,  arresting  five  strapping,  two- 
legged  soldiers,  with  good  muskets.  The  ex-Con- 
federate joined  in  the  fun,  laughing  when  Grace 


ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA  BAY.         381 

said  that  such  an  idea  was  enough  to  make  a  mule 
laugh. 

He  told  us  that  when  he  had  been  taken  pris- 
oner at  Gettysburg  he  had  been  treated  "right 
well "  by  our  men,  who  kindly  took  care  of  him 
after  his  leg  was  amputated.  That  before  the 
war  his  father  had  kept  the  lighthouse  on  that 
island. 

"  I  don't  bear  you  Yanks  no  grudge,  noway  ; 
I've  swapped  corn  bread  for  hard-tack,  and  tobacco 
for  coffee,  with  Yanks,  and  feel  right  brotherly 
towards  them." 

This  was  said  with  such  apparent  good  will  that 
we  felt  we  could  trust  him  when  he  inquired,  — 

"  Where  did  you'ns  all  come  from  ?  " 

Moran  must  have  seen  this  disposition  in  our 
faces,  for  he  said  sharply,  "  Least  said  soonest 
mended,  boys." 

"  If  3^ou'll  stay  here  a  while  I'll  bring  you  some 
corn  bread  and  fixin's.  You  all  used  me  well  when 
I  was  wounded,  and  I  ain't  the  man  to  forget  it," 
said  the  ex-Confederate. 

In  a  short  time  the  ex-reb  returned,  bringing  us 
half  a  ham,  a  card  of  matches,  some  meal,  and  a 
pint  of  salt.  In  return  we  offered  him  a  knife, 
and  a  twenty-dollar  Confederate  note.  He  would 
not  accept  anything,  and  passed  the  note  back 
with  a  grim  smile.  As  he  left  us  he  shook  us 
each  kindly  by  the  hand,  and  said  significantly, 
"  I  hope  you'll  get  through,  Yanks." 


382  JED'S  ADVENTURES, 

Many  comments  were  passed  on  the  occurrence 
of  the  meeting,  after  the  reb  left. 

"I  tell  you  he  is  a  square,  honest  fellow,"  said 
Jed. 

Moran  shook  his  head ;  while  Robinson,  as  was 
habitual  with  him,  repeated  gloomily,  — 

"  Resky,  resky  !  " 

"  Robinson  would  say  that  to  anything  short  of 
a  dead  certainty,"  drawled  Grace.  It  was  agreed 
by  us  all  that  a  card  of  matches  and  some  salt  and 
meal  were  desirable,  and  a  certain  good,  while  the 
ills  probable  from  the  encounter  might  never  come. 

Jed  thoughtfully  emptied  our  powder  into  one 
of  the  powder-horns,  broke  up  the  matches  and  put 
them  with  the  remaining  percussion  caps  into  the 
other  one,  and  stowed  them  away  in  the  haversack 
which  he  wore  constantly  about  him. 

That  evening,  acting  on  information  received 
from  the  ex-reb,  —  namely,  that  vessels  of  our 
blockading  squadron  sometimes  passed  into  the 
harbor  through  the  passage  between  Cape  St. 
George  and  the  little  island  on  the  right,  —  we 
again  began  a  coasting  voyage  in  that  direction. 

That  night  we  passed  outside  the  harbor,  and, 
perceiving  an  island  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
passage,  we  paddled  across  the  channel  and  landed. 
We  remained  here  during  the  day,  cooking  the 
oysters  which  remained  of  our  store,  and  resting. 
We  had  now  become  accustomed  to  rough  seas,  and 
were  so  confident  of  the  seaworthiness  of  our  boat 


ox  THE  APPALACHICOLA   BAY.         383 

that  when  Moran  proposed  to  continue  our  coast- 
ing voyage  on  the  Gulf  side  of  the  island,  we  at 
once  adopted  the  proposition. 

By  such  a  course,  even  if  we  did  not  fall  in  with 
any  of  our  coasting  vessels,  we  should  be  constantly 
nearing  Santa  Rosa  Island,  where  a  force  of  Federal 
soldiers  were  stationed,  and  at  the  same  time  would 
have  as  good  a  chance  of  encountering  some  vessel 
of  our  blockading  squadron  as  if  we  remained  in 
one  place. 

Our  map  embraced  but  a  very  small  part  of  this 
territory,  but  Grace  sketched  the  remainder  as  he 
remembered  it.  We  coasted  along  as  proposed  for 
several  days,  with  no  incident  worthy  of  record. 

Late  one  afternoon,  after  an  unusual  season  of 
calms,  a  sudden  storm  came  up,  which  tossed  our 
boat  with  great  violence,  thi'owing  us  into  con- 
fusion and  fear.  Before  we  could  unship  our 
mast  or  furl  our  sail,  the  mast  was  torn  violently 
from  the  boat.  The  wind  increased  in  fury  every 
moment,  and  it  soon  became  so  dark  that  we  could 
not  tell  whither  we  were  driving.  At  first  Moran 
had  endeavored  to  keep  our  craft  head  on  to  the 
seas,  but  finally,  with  set  lips  and  frowning  brow, 
put  her  before  the  wind,  which  drove  us  on  through 
a  seethingr-  sea. 

o 

We  were  ordered  to  sit  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
and  keep  her  clear  of  water  by  baling  with  some 
large  shells  we  had  on  board.  Our  boat  was  tossed 
about   like  an  eggshell,  and  every  huge,  white- 


384  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

capped  wave  threatened  to  ingulf  us.  Our  voices 
could  scarcely  be  heard  above  the  roaring  of  the 
waves  and  the  shrieking  of  the  winds.  At  one 
moment  we  were  lifted  on  huge,  mountainous  bil- 
lows, and  at  the  next  sunk  deep  down  into  the 
trough  between  them. 

In  the  midst  of  this  peril  Moran  exclaimed, 
"  The  breakers  !  Breakers  ahead ! "  and  above  the 
howling  winds  we  heard  a  noise  like  a  ceaseless  can- 
nonade. It  was  the  roar  of  the  breakers  as  they 
dashed  on  the  shore.  We  were  now  driven  with 
merciless  force  towards  the  coast,  and  the  sound  of 
the  breakers  grew  terribly  near.  The  white  caps 
of  the  coast  threatened  to  break  over  us  as  we 
neared  them.  We  were  soon  in  their  midst,  and 
saw  their  white  froth  as  they  curled  and  broke  on 
the  shore,  towards  which  we  were  being  driven. 
"  Stick  to  the  boat,"  shouted  Moran,  "  until  you 
hear  me  shout,  '  Jump  ! '  " 

A  giant  wave  now  caught  up  the  boat,  and  hurled 
it  with  great  force  towards  the  shore,  while  another 
came  hurrying  in  our  rear,  threatening  to  over- 
whelm us  as  we  receded.  "  Take  the  line  and  be 
ready  to  jump  with  the  next  wave,"  shouted  Moran. 

A  wave  more  threatening  than  any  that  had  pre- 
ceded it  now  came  roaring  astern,  swept  us  inshore, 
and  as  it  was  ready  to  recede  we  jumped  and  ran, 
dragging  the  boat  after  us.  Twice  the  waves  struck 
us  after  this.  When  we  reached  a  place  of  safety 
we  turned,  and  found  that  Moran  was  missing. 


ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA  BAY,         385 

He  had  been  swept  away,  though  Robinson  still 
clung,  half-drowned,  to  the  boat,  now  filled  with 
water.  I  made  a  rush  and  pulled  him  from  the 
bows  of  the  boat,  where  he  was  clinging,  and  car- 
ried him  to  the  shore.  We  still  clung  to  the  line 
that  held  the  boat,  hoping  to  save  her ;  but  before 
we  could  drag  her  from  the  breakers  the  frail  rope 
broke,  and  she  drifted  away. 

Poor  Jack  Moran  !  brave  Jack  !  where  was  he  ? 
The  answer  seemed  to  come  from  the  hungry,  roar- 
ing waves,  "  Drowned,  drowned  !  "  Yes,  he  was 
drowned  in  trying  to  save  our  lives.  We  had  no 
time  for  grief.  We  watched,  and  walked  the  shore 
all  night  in  the  rain,  hoping  that  Jack  might  be 
found. 

The  morning  came  and  the  storm  continued. 
We  found  our  boat,  half  filled  with  sand  and  nearly 
full  of  water,  cast  on  the  beach  about  a  mile  to  the 
left  of  us. 

On  removing  the  sand  we  found  one  of  our  mus- 
kets and  a  few  sweet  potatoes,  but  the  oars  and 
everything  else  of  value  were  gone. 

We  now  had  left  a  small  drinking-cup,  two 
powder-horns,  some  matches  and  percussion  caps 
in  good  order,  a  rusty  musket,  our  compass  and 
knife,  a  haversack,  one-half  a  canteen,  a  small  piece 
of  bacon  and  four  sweet  potatoes,  and  a  boat  with- 
out paddles,  oars,  or  sails. 

We  were  on  a  sandy  key  of  land  (we  knew  not 
where),  without  water  or  food  other  than  that  I  have 


386  JED'S  adv^ntuhes. 

stated.  We  were  very  thirsty,  and  our  first  thought 
was  to  look  for  fresh  water.  Travelling  either  north 
or  south  brought  us  to  salt  water,  while  running  east 
and  west  was  a  long  stretch  of  white  sand  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  with  a  mossy  growth  over 
the  soil,  and  with  here  and  there  a  stunted  pal- 
metto tree.  We  were  now  in  great  distress  for 
water,  for  although  we  explored  on  every  side,  there 
was  none  to  be  found.  To  add  to  our  misfortunes, 
Robinson  was  much  exhausted  and  very  sick ;  and, 
as  I  had  become  much  attached  to  him,  I  would  not 
abandon  him  to  search  for  food  or  water. 

Jed  and  Grace,  however,  set  out  on  a  journey 
of  exploration,  leaving  me  to  care  for  Robinson. 
Soon  after  the  boys  were  gone,  the  sun  came  out 
very  hot,  while  the  nearest  approach  to  a  shade  I 
could  find  was  under  a  scrubby  palmetto-tree.  Here 
I  carried  Robinson,  who  was  now  so  weak  that  he 
could  hardly  speak,  and  when  he  did  speak,  to  my 
distress,  the  single  word  he  uttered  was,  "Water." 

"We  have  no  water,"  I  explained:  "the  boys 
have  gone  in  search  of  some." 

After  a  wliile  he  feebly  said,  "  Why  didn't  they 

dig?"_ 

"  Dig  where  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  In  the  sand  —  anywhere."  Seeing  my  incredu 
lous  look  he  explained,  "  If  you  dig  down  to  the 
level  of  the  salt  water  you  will  come  to  water 
which  is  filtered  through  the  sand,  and  it  will  be 
fresh." 


ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA  BAY.         387 

I  at  once  began  to  dig  vigorously,  and  soon  had 
the  satisfaction  of  reaching  water ;  but  I  was  still 
incredulous,  and  dipped  up  some  of  the  water  and 
doubtingly  held  it  to  my  lips  to  test  it.  I  was  pre- 
pared to  find  it  salt.     It  was  fresh  ! 

No  one  who  has  not  passed  through  similar  trials 
can  understand  the  relief  and  joy  I  felt.  It  was 
indeed  a  rescue  from  despair. 

In  a  few  hours  Jed  and  Grace  returned,  worn 
out  and  anxious,  bringing  one  of  the  boat  pad- 
dles they  had  found  a  mile  below  on  the  shore,  but 
without  having  found  water.  Their  surprise  and 
joy  was  great  when  I  gave  them  the  cup,  and, 
pointing  to  the  hollow,  explained  how  I  had 
obtained  it.  The  water,  though  slightly  brackish, 
was  fairly  good.  That  afternoon  we  found  some 
large  shell -fish,  which  gave  us  a  tough  kind  of 
meat,  made  a  fire  and  cooked  them,  and  ended  the 
day  with  our  hearts  full  of  gloomy  forebodings  at 
the  prospect  before  us. 

The  next  day  we  washed  out  the  boat,  but 
found,  on  launching  her,  that  she  leaked  badly. 
She  had  been  strained  either  by  the  surf,  or  by 
the  violent  wrenching  of  the  mast  from  her  in 
the  storm. 

We  did  the  best  we  could  in  repairing  her,  for  it 
was  imperative  that  we  should  get  away  from  the 
sand  island  or  cape  on  which  we  had  been  cast,  as 
food  was  scarce,  there  was  but  little  shade  from  the 
intense  heat  of  the  sun,  the  mosquitoes  were  fierce, 


388  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

and,  to  complete   our    discomfort,  the    sand  was 
infested  with  an  insect  that  bit  and  annoyed  us. 

It  was  agreed  that  while  we  miglit  find  a  better 
place,  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  find  a  worse  one. 
With  a  few  shell-fish  for  food  we  once  more 
launched  our  craft  into  the  now  calm  sea.  We 
had  wrenched  out  the  one  remaining  seat  of  our 
boat,  and  had  made  it  into  a  very  poor  substitute 
for  a  paddle. 

All  day  we  took  turns  In  laboring  at  the  paddles 
and  in  baling  out  water.  Sometimes  we  were 
carried  out  of  our  course  by  the  tides,  and  some- 
times assisted  by  them  in  the  westerly  direction 
we  still  pursued.  As  we  had  no  means  of  carrying 
fresh  water  with  us,  we  often  landed  to  obtain  it. 

The  long,  barren  island  or  cape  seemed  without 
end ;  and  as  we  were  weakened  by  hunger,  and  our 
paddles  were  almost  useless  for  our  work,  we  made 
but  little  headway  in  our  cruise.  Jed  had  cut  a 
short  pole,  which  was,  however,  of  but  little  use 
to  us. 

It  was  nearly  sundown  one  afternoon  when  we 
had  landed,  very  much  discouraged,  on  the  long 
stretch  of  sand.  We  were  cooking  some  of  the 
coarse  shell-fish  which  had  now  for  more  than  a 
week  been  our  only  food.  We  had  used  our  last 
match,  and  were  discussing  the  probabilities  of  the 
future.  Jed  was  busy  attempting  a  new  way  of 
cooking  the  shell-fish,  when,  suddenly  dropping  his 
dish,  he  pointed  out  to   the  open  sea.      He  was 


ON  THE  APPALACHICOLA  BAY,         389 

pale  and  trembling  with  excitement,  and  unable  to 
articulate.  We  looked,  liowever,  in  the  direction 
in  which  he  pointed,  and  saw  a  large  vessel,  south- 
east from  us,  steaming  along  about  a  mile  from  the 
shore. 

It  took  us  but  a  moment  to  jump  into  our  boat 
in  the  endeavor  to  reach  her.  We  paddled  with 
all  our  strength,  while  Jed  waved  the  remains  of 
his  shirt  on  the  pole  he  had  cut  a  few  days  pre- 
vious. 

The  waves  ran  high.  Robinson  protested  that 
it  was  "  resky,"  and  said,  "  She  may  be  a  rebel 
craft,  and  Ave  are  likely  to  get  so  far  away  from 
land  as  not  to  be  able  to  get  back." 

We  were  deaf,  liowever,  to  all  his  forebodings, 
and  determined,  as  Grace  said,  to  "  bunch  all  our 
chances  in  an  attempt  to  reach  the  craft  ahead  of 
us." 

We  paddled  with  renewed  vigor,  and  the  steamer 
came  nearer  and  nearer.  We  could  now  hear  the 
throbbing  of  her  engines,  and  see  the  men  on  her 
decks.  We  waved  our  hats  and  shouted  franti- 
call}^,  but  our  voices  were  weakened  by  hardships, 
and  as  she  still  continued  on  her  course,  we  appar- 
ently had  not  been  heard,  though  she  was  now 
not  over  two-thirds  of  a  mile  from  us  and  dead 
ahead.  She  passed  us ;  "  Great  God !  could  we 
not  attract  her  attention  ?  "  Jed  waved  his  shirt 
frantically,  but  she  still  kept  on  her  course. 

Grace,  who  had  taken  no  part  hitherto  in  shout- 


390  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

• 

ing,  here  dropped  his  paddle,  stood  up,  inflated  his 
lungs,  and  uttered  a  piercing  yell  that  startled  us. 

We  now  saw  men  hurrying  on  her  deck.  She 
changed  her  course  in  our  direction.  She  had 
apparently  heard  Grace,  and  if  so,  we  were  rescued. 

''What  craft  is  that?"  hailed  Grace,  as  she 
came  near  us. 

"  The  United  States  gunboat  Mercedes.  What 
boat  is  that?"  came  the  answer  and  question  from 
the  steamer. 

"A  boat  with  escaping  Union  prisoners,"  was 
our  answer. 

In  a  moment  we  were  alongside,  were  on  deck, 
and  thanked  God  that  we  were  once  more  under  the 
protection  of  the  ''  Old  Flag,"  for  which  we  had 
suffered  so  much.  It  was  now  the  24th  of  Novem- 
ber, almost  three  months  since  we  had  begun  our 
escape  from  Anderson ville.  . 

The  kind  treatment  received  by  us  on  board  of 
the  Mei'cedes  will  never  be  forgotten.  The  cap- 
tain told  us  that  he  had  stopped  at  the  island  of 
St.  George  to  take  in  w^ater,  and  while  there  an 
ex-rebel  soldier  had  told  him  of  meeting  a  party  of 
Union  soldiers,  and  had  earnestly  urged  him  to 
search  for  them.  The  captain,  with  this  in  view, 
had  steamed  along  the  coast. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

UNDER   THE   OLD   FLAG   AGAIN. 

TT  had  been  a  peculiarity  of  our  Andersonville 
life  that  prisoners  manifested  but  little  interest 
in  each  other's  previous  history.  They  were  not 
generally  curious  regarding  a  man's  past  life,  seem- 
ingly not  caring  from  whence  he  came,  or  what  his 
name  was.  They  Avere  content  to  take  him  as  they 
found  him,  without  further  inquiry.  They  often 
invented  names  expressive  of  personality  or  char- 
acter. Illustrative  of  this,  two  of  Andersonville's 
most  prominent  personages  w^ere  known  as  "Limber 
Jim  "  and  "  Big  Pete,"  and  very  few  among  the 
prisoners  knew  their  real  names,  or  took  pains  to 
inquire  them.  The  hideous  struggles  and  miseries 
of  this  life  crowded  out,  as  non-essential,  the  minor 
curiosity  common  to  men. 

In  our  little  circle  John  Moran  was  apparently 
an  exception  to  this  rule  ;  but  as  I  have  never  been 
able  (though  I  have  persistently  made  inquiries) 
to  learn  anything  of  his  parents  or  friends,  I  am  in 
doubt  if  this  was  really  the  name  of  my  brave  com- 
rade. 

Jed  and  I  were  known  only  as  Jed  and  Dick. 
391 


392  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

On  our  arrival  on  the  Mercedes^  Robinson,  who 
was  feeble,  was  placed  under  the  surgeon's  charge. 
The  morning  after  our  arrival  he  sent  for  Jed  and 
myself.  I  found  him  lying  on  a  cot  in  the  mate's 
cabin.  He  was  dressed  in  clean  linen,  and  a  suit 
lent  him  by  the  captain.  Robinson  had  endeared 
himself  to  us  all  by  his  conservative  good  sense,  as 
well  as  by  his  goodness  and  rugged  honesty.  As 
I  approached  him  under  his  new  surroundings,  the 
same  familiar  look  which  I  had  so  often  noticed 
now  startled  me. 

The  reader  may,  at  some  time  in  his  life,  have 
seen  a  face,  or  an  expression  on  a  face,  which,  though 
strangely  familiar,  he  was  unable  to  connect  with 
a  former  experience.  So  now,  as  several  times 
before,  I  found  myself  endeavoring  to  grasp  the 
clew  to  this  striking  but  intangible  remembrance. 

On  entering,  Jed  sat  down  by  his  side,  and  in 
his  sympathizing  manner  took  his  hand,  saying, 
"What's  the  matter,  old  fellow?" 

Robinson  shook  his  head,  saying,  "  Don't  know 
as  I  shall  pull  through  to  get  home,  boys.  Doubt- 
ful, doubtful." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will,"  said  Jed.  "  It's  enough  to 
make  the  dead  alive,  to  know  that  we  are  under 
the  old  flag ;  isn't  it,  Dick  ?  "  Then  in  lower,  rev- 
erent tones  he  said  to  Robinson,  *'  God  has  been  so 
good  to  us  all !  Do  you  remember  what  he  says  in 
one  of  his  beautiful  psalms  ?  '  For  I  said  in  my  haste, 
I  am  cut  off  before  thine  eyes  ;  nevertheless  thou 


UNDER   THE  OLD  FLAG  AGAIN.  393 

heardest  the  voice  of  my  supplications  when  I 
cried  unto  thee.  ...  Be  of  good  courage,  and  he 
shall  strengthen  your  heart.'  Don't  that  fit  your 
case  ?  " 

I  too  sat  down  by  Robinson's  side  to  comfort 
him.  I  asked  liim,  for  the  first  time,  to  what  regi- 
ment he  belonged. 

''  The  — th  Minnesota,"  was  his  reply,  "  but  I  am 
really  a  Massachusetts  man.  God  bless  the  old 
State !  " 

"  Why,  that's  our  State  ! "  exclaimed  Jed. 

Robinson  continued,  "  I  have  a  son  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  if  anything  should  happen  to  me  before 
we  reach  the  North,  I  have  written  this  letter,  which 
I  wish  you  to  give  to  him,  with  my  blessing.  I 
have  been  in  pursuit  of  fortune  West,  these  long 
years,  and  have  neglected  him." 

I  took  the  letter  from  his  hands,  glanced  at  the 
superscription  —  it  was  directed  to  Richard  Nick- 
erson — it  was  for  me.  The  man  before  me  was 
my  father.  I  now  understood  the  meaning  of  that 
familiar  look  which  I  had  so  many  times  tried  to 
connect  with  my  remembrance.  It  was  a  child's 
remembrance  of  his  long  absent  father's  face.  Rob- 
inson was  my  father's  middle  name. 

In  a  few  days  we  were  landed  at  Pensacola, 
and  from  there  were  sent  to  New  Orleans, 
where  we  received  clothing  and  transportation 
North. 

Upon  our  arrival  in  Washington  we  received  a 


394  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

furlough  of  sixty  days,  and,  accompanied  by  my 
father,  now  much  improved  in  health,  we  Avere  in 
a  short  time  at  our  old  home  again. 

A  correspondent  of  a  newspaper,  to  whom  the 
captain  of  the  Mercedes  had  given  an  outline  of 
our  escape  from  Anderson ville,  had  sent  a  long  and 
exaggerated  account  of  our  adventures  to  a  New 
York  paper,  under  the  caption  of  "  Out  of  the 
Clasp  of  Death."  Included  in  tliis  was  an  account 
of  my  strange  meeting  with  my  father.  Other 
newspapers  had  copied  this,  and  the  Associated 
Press  had  sent  an  abridged  account  l)roadcast  over 
the  land.  Thus  it  was  that,  although  we  had  not 
heard  from  home  for  many  months,  and  knew 
nothing  of  events  that  had  taken  place  there  since 
we  entered  the  Wilderness  campaign,  yet  the  home 
people  knew  our  adventures,  and  our  coming  was 
not  unexpected. 

In  our  impatience  to  reach  home,  the  way  seemed 
longer  and  the  stations  more  numerous  than  they 
ever  were  before.  As  we  alighted  from  the  cars  at 
the  little  station  of  Centerboro,  the  wdiole  village 
seemed  to  have  turned  out  to  w^elcome  us.  My 
father  was  received  as  one  from  the  dead  by  his  old 
neighbors  and  friends  ;  while  Mink  barked  franti- 
cally, and  almost  turned  himself  into  a  double  knot 
with  delight. 

Among  the  crowd  on  the  platform,  to  our  great 
astonishment,  w^as  Colonel  Gruff,  with  his  servant 
Smutty,  who  wore  one  of  the  colonel's  best  uni- 


UNDER    THE   OLD  FLAG  AGAIN.  395 

forms  for  the  occasion.  The  old  veteran  was  glad 
enough  to  see  his  "  poys." 

As  we  started  for  home  I  said,  "  Come  up  to  the 
house  with  us,  colonel."  Whereupon  the  old  vete- 
ran took  my  aunt  by  the  hand,  and  with  much 
blushing  on  her  part,  cleared  his  throat  and  said,  as 
if  giving  orders  on  parade,  "  Shentlemen,  dis  is  my 
vife.     Der  nicest  leetle  voman  dot  ever  vas  !  " 

It  seems  that  after  I  was  taken  prisoner,  the  colo- 
nel had  written  to  my  aunt.  She  had  replied,  and 
was  so  inconsolable  that  he  wrote  again  to  quiet 
her  fears  ;  but,  as  she  refused  to  be  comforted,  w^hen 
the  army  had  settled  down  to  the  siege  of  Peters- 
burg, lie  got  a  furlough  and  came  North  to  try  his 
personal  influence  in  soothing  her.  He  finally 
carried  his  ideas  of  consolation  so  far  as  to  propose 
marriage,  and  was  accepted. 

Covered  with  scars  and  honors,  and  with  the 
brevet  rank  of  general,  he  shortly  afterwards  re- 
signed his  commission,  and  settled  down  to  domes- 
tic life,  for  my  aunt  had  refused  to  be  fully  com- 
forted on  any  other  terms. 

Lieutenant  Weston  was  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
while  bravely  leading  his  compan}'  into  that  mur- 
derous charge.  Previous  to  this  he  had  been  on  a 
furlough  home,  where,  in  the  presence  of  my  aunt 
and  others,  he  had  fully  confessed  all  the  circum- 
stances of  receiving  the  money  in  the  manner  he 
had  previously  narrated  to  us. 

Although  the  money  could  not  be   found,  the 


396  JEDS  ADVENTURES. 

squire  paid  my  aunt,  with  interest,  the  full  sum 
received  by  his  son. 

Months  afterwards  a  tin  box  containing  the  money 
was  discovered  among  some  refuse  mattress  straw 
in  the  squire's  barn. 

My  father,  being  unfit  for  military  duty,  soon  got 
his  discharge  from  the  army,  and  settled  down  in 
his  native  town.  He  wrote  to  pay  the  taxes  on  his 
Western  farm,  and  was  informed  that  it  had  become 
the  centre  of  a  growing  town,  and  could  be  sold 
for  a  large  sum  of  money. 

Uncle  John  Warren  came  to  see  us,  and  we  had 
many  invitations  from  various  quarters  to  make 
visits. 

Under  General  Grant  the  war  was  now  assuming 
such  a  phase  that  even  Silas  Eaton  condescendingly 
admitted  that  affairs  were  managed  "  a  leetle  " 
better  than  he  could  do  it  himself. 

The  people  of  our  village  church  arose  to  greet 
us  as  we  entered  the  church  the  next  Sunday  morn- 
ing. The  dear  old  pastor,  with  tears  streaming 
down  his  cheeks,  thanked  God  for  our  great  deliv- 
erance from  death. 

I  wish  that  I  might  here  end  my  story,  but  truth 
compels  the  addition  of  another  chapter,  where  sor- 
row clasps  hands  with  triumph  and  victory. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  LAST  DAYS   OF   THE   WAR. 

OUR  furlough  passed  rapidly  away.  It  was  now 
time  for  us  to  report  for  duty  with  our  regi- 
ment. Our  commissions  as  first  lieutenants  had 
reached  us  a  few  days  after  our  arrival,  and  in 
bright  new  uniforms  we  had  visited  at  pai'ties  and 
receptions  tendered  us.  Jed's  noble  face  and  manly 
presence  inspired  respect  wherever  he  went. 

We  were  soon  at  the  front,  where  we  were  re- 
ceived by  our  old  companions  in  arms  with  enthusi- 
asm. The  regiment  was  reduced  to  a  mere  skele- 
ton, and  we  missed  many  familiar  faces. 

The  last  days  of  the  Confederacy  were  drawing 
near.  The  iron  resolution  of  the  brave  men  in 
gray,  who,  half-starved,  for  so  many  months  had 
carried  the  standard  of  revolt,  now  began  to  weaken. 
Grant  drew  his  lines  with  a  death-like  grasp  around 
them.  One  by  one  he  cut  off  the  railroad  lines  by 
which  they  received  supplies. 

The  able  Confederate  commander,  with  the  in- 
tention of  compelling  the  retirement  of  our  left 
flank,  and  relieving  the  pressure  by  breaking  the 
Union  lines  near  where  it  rested  on  the  Appomat- 

397 


398  JED'S  ADVENTURES. 

tox,  east  of  Petersburg,  surprised  and  captured 
Fort  Stedman  on  the  25th  of  March. 

Grant,  having  determined  to  open  the  campaign 
of  the  year  on  the  29th  of  March,  meanwhile  with 
inflexible  tenacity  went  steadily  forward,  pushing 
his  preparations  for  a  grand  movement  to  be  directed 
against  the  Confederate  right  flank,  to  cut  their 
railroad  communications.  The  movement,  though 
sudden,  was  anticipated  by  General  Lee. 

Breaking  camp  early  on  the  morning  of  the  29th, 
the  force  of  Avhicli  we  now  formed  a  part  moved  by 
ihe  rear  and  left,  in  order  to  make  this  flank  move- 
ment without  observation.  The  day  before  Jed  had 
oeen  slightly  wounded  by  a  minie  ball  in  the  hip, 
and  the  surgeon  declared  he  was  not  in  condition 
to  endure  a  march.  I,  too,  urged  him  to  remain 
l)ehiiid.     Jed,  however,  was  quietly  persistent. 

''  Whether  I  live  or  die,"  said  he,  "  it  shall  never 
be  said  that  I  willingly  went  to  the  rear  when  my 
regiment  was  marching  to  the  front." 

It  was  of  no  use  to  remonstrate  with  him,  for, 
though  very  sweet-natured,  he  was  also  immovably 
obstinate  where  he  thought  his  duty  was  concerned. 

As  our  line  of  battle  advanced,  it  was  compelled 
to  cross  Hatch's  Run  before  it  could  reach  a  fort 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  All  but  one  man 
of  the  Confederates  had  left  this  fort.  This  man 
had  gathered  the  muskets  abandoned  by  his  less 
determined  comrades,  and  single-handed  attempted 
to  contest  our  advance.     The  stream  was  too  deep 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  THE   WAR.          399 

for  fording,  but  we  found  a  tree  fallen  across  the 
run,  which  served  the  purpose  of  a  foot-bridge. 
]\Ian  after  man  fell  dead  from  the  fire  of  this 
one  Confederate,  AA^hile  attempting  to  cross  the 
log. 

Seeing  that  one  man  was  to  delay  an  army, 
O'Keif,  who  commanded  our  company,  sent  several 
of  our  best  marksmen  to  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and 
the  brave  Confederate,  after  killing  seven  of  our 
men,  was  in  turn  mortally  wounded. 

With  swords  and  muskets  in  hand  we  went 
over  the  enemy's  works.  The  Confederate  de- 
fender wore  the  stripes  of  a  major,  and  was  not  yet 
dead. 

"  This  man  is  a  hero,"  said  Jed,  as  he  knelt  by 
his  side  to  offer  help  and  consolation.  The  rebel 
smiled  and  said,  — 

"  You  boys  were  too  much  for  one  reb,  but  some 
one  must  do  the  fighting  when  cowards  run." 

Something  familiar  in  his  voice  arrested  my 
attention  ;  it  was  Walker,  ^vhose  acquaintance  Ave 
had  made  at  Fort  Monroe,  when  Ave  Avere  drum- 
mers. He  lived  but  a  short  time.  We  buried  him 
Avith  the  honors  of  war,  and  inscribed  on  the 
Avooden  slab  above  his  grave,  the  story  of  his 
heroic  defence  of  the  fort.  His  SAvord  and  Avatch 
were  afterwards  sent  to  his  friends. 

On  the  clear,  frosty  morning  of  April  1st,  Ave 
moved  toAvards  Five  Forks,  Avhere  Slieridan  had 
fought  the  day  before.     The  Southside  Railroad 


400  JED\S  ADVENTURES. 

might  be  termed  the  life  line,  that  connected  Lee 
with  his  capital. 

To  guard  this  road,  the  rebel  commander  had 
barricaded  it  with  a  long  line  of  works,  running 
parallel  with  it,  and  it  was  defended  by  his  bravest 
troops. 

Sheridan's  plan  was  to  attract  their  attention  by 
deploying  cavalry  in  their  front,  while  we  were  to 
take  them  in  the  rear  by  surprise.  Silently  we 
marched  over  this  ravine-furrowed  country. 

At  last  we  reached  a  hill  where  we  looked  down 
through  the  trees  on  the  defences  of  the  enemy. 
Our  lines  were  formed,  and  then  like  an  eagle 
from  some  mountain  crag,  we  descended  on  the 
foe.  Thus  surprised  in  the  rear  they  threw  doAvn 
their  muskets,  and  surrendered  in  crowds.  They 
soon  perceived,  however,  that  they  had  been  out- 
manoeuvred but  not  outnumbered.  A  rebel  officer, 
seeing  this,  seized  a  musket,  exclaiming,  ''  We  will 
whip  you  yet !  "  and  shot  down  one  of  our  men. 
A  fight  now  took  place  which  baffles  description. 

In  the  quick  rush  on  the  works,  over  rough 
ground,  our  company  had  been  broken  into  two 
parts.  Brave  Captain  O'Keif,  on  reaching  the 
works,  saw  a  rebel  flag  leaning  against  a  tree,  and 
shouted,  — • 

"  Come  on,  men,  we'll  have  that  flag !  "  and,  fol- 
lowed by  a  dozen  men,  sprang  in  among  the  enemy. 
To  reach  the  flag  they  were  obliged  to  pass  through 
a  crowd  of  rebels,  until  four  or  five  luuidred  men 


Ttin  LAST  DAYS  6F  THE   WAR.          401 

separated  them  from  their  comrades.  It  was  at 
this  moment  that  the  enemy  rallied,  and  Captain 
O'Keif  and  his  brave  men  found  themselves  cut 
off  and  all  hope  of  escape  destroyed.  A  rebel 
officer  sprang  at  O'Keif's  throat,  calling  upon  him 
to  surrender,  but  the  brave  Irish  captain  had  no 
idea  of  surrendering.  He  seized  the  officer  in  his 
muscular  arms,  and  hurled  him  bodily  into  the 
mass  of  foes  confronting  him.  They  were  in  such 
close  quarters  that  neither  party  could  fire  without 
shooting  their  friends.  Terrible  blows  were  given 
and  received.  The  contest  Avas  desperate;  our 
own  men  advanced  as  they  fought.  At  that 
moment  the  baffled  foe  poured  in  a  deadly  volley, 
and  brave  O'Keif  fell  dead,  with  his  SAVord  in  his 
hand. 

This  fight  was  at  its  height,  when  a  bugle  blast 
sounded,  and  Sheridan's  cavalry  from  a  clump  of 
woods  a  fcAV  rods  distant  came  dashing  in  upon 
them. 

The  enemy  turned  to  run.  It  was  too  late. 
Five  thousand  Confederates  surrendered. 

Sheridan  rushed  by  me  like  a  madman,  shouting 
as  he  swung  his  clinched  fist,  "  Smash  'em,  smash 
'em,  boys ! " 

The  Southside  Railroad  was  in  our  hands.  The 
fight  was  over  and  it  was  nearly  dark.  Jed  had  led 
the  men  of  his  company,  broken  from  our  ranks, 
into  another  part  of  the  enemy's  lines. 

Exhausted  with   marching  and  fighting,  I  had 


46S  JED'S  ADVENTURE^. 

fallen  asleep  after  the  conflict.  It  was  late  that 
night  that  word  came  to  us  that  Jed  Avas  missing. 
It  was  a  lonely  night  search  with  the  silence  broken 
by  the  groans  of  the  wounded. 

During  the  search  we  found  O'Keif,  with  his 
dead  foes  and  his  fallen  comrades  around  him. 
We  dug  a  shallow  trench  and  buried  them  under 
a  great  oak,  emblematic  of  their  brave  hearts.  As 
we  advanced  over  the  tangled  abatis,  where  the 
dead  lay  thickest,  and  the  wounded  feebly  moaned, 
I  heard  a  voice  clearly  but  feebly  singing,  — 

"  *  Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross, 
A  follower  of  the  Lamb,'  " 

and  then  as  if  gathering  strength  to  testify  for  the 
Master,  after  a  pause,  the  voice  rang  out  clearer 
and  louder,  — 

*' '  And  shall  I  blush  to  own  his  cause, 
Or  fear  to  speak  his  name.'  " 

We  found  Jed  where  he  had  fallen  in  the  charge. 
The  morning  light  was  now  breaking,  and  his  face, 
though  pale,  was  lighted  up  with  an  indescribable 
light,  as  if  he  had  been  communing  with  angels. 

"Are  you  hurt  badly,  Jed?"  I  asked,  while  my 
voice  was  choked  with  tears. 

His  blood-saturated  clothing  told  the  story,  with- 
out an  answer.  He  put  his  hand  in  mine,  and 
with  the  same  brave  smile  that  was  a  joy  to  all 
who  knew  him,  said  faintly,  — 


The  last  days  of  tHjS  war.       40S 

"  I'm  awful  glad  to  see  you  once  more,  Dick." 

Other  comrades  who  loved  him  gathered  around 
him  (and  who  did  not  love  dear  Jed?)  —  and  after 
a  moment's  silence  he  said  more  feebly,  — 

"  I'm  dying,  Dick  ;  God  knows  I'm  not  afraid,  — 
and  I'm  glad  to  die  for  my  country.  Give  my  love 
to  Aunt  Tempy  and  Gruff  and  Mink." 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  you,  Jed  ? "  I  in- 
quired. 

"Yes;  turn  me  over  so  I  can  see  the  sunrise." 

I  heard  him  whispering  a  prayer.  The  sun 
came  up,  dispelling  the  morning  mists  and  painting 
with  softened  light  the  eastern  clouds,  until  they 
looked  like  the  hills  of  a  heavenly  landscape  far 
beyond.  In  a  camp  near  by  the  fife  and  drum 
sounded  the  reveille,  and  the  command  was  heard, 
"  Fall  in,  fall  in  !  "  At  this  familiar  sound,  Jed, 
who  had  been  lying  with  closed  eyes,  and  fast 
ebbing  strength,  tried  to  rise,  but  fell  back  again 
on  my  arm. 

"  Dick,  I  love  you.  Tell  Gruff  to  meet  me  up 
there." 

He  said  no  more  after  this,  but  fell  asleep  with 
the  sunlight  kissing  his  pallid  face,  and  with  the 
reveille  still  sounding.  He  awoke,  I  trust,  to 
answer  to  the  more  glorious  roll-call  of  a  Captain 
whom  he  loved. 

In  the  cemetery  of  his  native  town  there  may 
be  seen  a  plain  headstone,  ever  crowned  in  summer 


404  mb'S  ADVEMTUM^. 

time  with  flowers,  and  which  bears  this  inscrip- 
tion :  — 

To  THE  Memory  of 

Lieutenant  Jedediah  Hoskins, 

Who  fell  mortally  wounded  while  leading  a 

CHARGE,    at    the    SOUTHSIDE   RaILROAD   NEAR 

Petersburg,  April  2d,  18G5. 

He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  a  soldier  op 
THE  Cross. 

More  than  two  decades  have  passed  since  these 
events.  I  am  now  a  man  in  middle  life,  Avith  whit- 
ening locks,  but  I  can  never  forget  this  boy-soldier, 
the  friend  of  my  youth,  who  illustrated  the  courage 
of  the  American  soldier  and  the  devotion  of  a  sim- 
ple Christian. 

That  we  have  an  undivided  nation,  with  not  a 
star  erased  from  our  flag  nor  a  slave  beneath  its 
folds,  is  because  of  such  men,  who  faced  death  to 
secure  "one  country  and  one  flag"  for  you  and 
yours. 


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3  A  CENTURY  OF  AMERICAN  LITERATURE.    Selected  and  arranged  by  Hunt- 

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4  A   DICTIONARY   OF    QUOTATIONS  IN  PROSE.     From  American  and  foreign 

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5  AD   LUCEM.     Compiled  by  Mary  Lloyd.     Selections   of  prose   and   poetry  for 

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7  IMPRESSIONS   OF  RUSSIA.     By  Dr.  Georg  Brandes,  author  of   "  Eminent 

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8  MEMOIRS  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.     By  Louis  Antoine  Fauvelet  de 

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10  CAMBRIDGE   BOOK   OF   POETRY  AND   SONG.      Compiled   by   Charlotte 

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11  POLISHED    STONES    AND    SHARPENED    ARROWS.     A  collection  of  Scrip- 

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i2mo.     $1.25. 


THOMAS  Y.  OBOWELL  &  CO.,  Publishers,  New  York. 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 

504 

C.2 


